Today I took a walk with Jesus. I went with the perspective of being His child, and walking together the way I would walk with my daughters. When we walk together, I take opportunities to point things out. I connect things to larger pictures. I’m slowed by their pace. I smile at other people walking by. Here are a few things Jesus grabbed me by the hand, and pointed out along our walk…(one of the ways I process things is by writing…so this is also a bit of me figuring out what God was saying as I spend time putting each into words)
“Chadwick, quick…come here. See how this leaf is holding onto a last drop of water? (I nod with a smile.) I want to fill your life with love so much, that these drips never have time to form. My love fills you, and drenches you to the point to where there is a neverending stream of outpouring.”
“I’d like that, because honestly sometimes I feel like this leaf…just a drip left…and holding onto it with all I can.”
“I know…(and He gives me a hug.)”
“Hey Chadwick….just sit down here on this bench for a sec.”
“What is it? Some awesome formation of nature??”
“Nope…just some grasses. Different levels of growth – small, tall grasses, and trees behind. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Reminds me of the 3-2-1 JELLO from when I was a kid.”
“That was good stuff, eh?”
“Yup.”
“Hey Chadwick, you wore the wrong shoes for a hike, didn’t you?”
(looking down at my leather shoes) “Oooops. Yeah.”
“Just take your shoes and socks off, and hide them behind that bush over there. This walk will be better if you do.”
“Well….if God says so….”
“I do.” 🙂
“Wow God….it’s pretty cool that all lof this exists in the midst of what we would call an ‘Urban’ area. It’s nice to just breathe slow, walk slow, and not have any purpose to this walk than to be with you.”
“I agree. I just wish you saw it more often.”
“Zing. Okay, I get it…..thanks for inviting me out today.”
“No problem…thanks for finally coming.”
“Hey Chadwick, come here and look at this. Isn’t it beautiful??”
“Um God….it’s dirt. Didn’t you see the flowers I took a picture of over there?”
“Well yes…I’ve noticed you really enjoy taking pictures of the flowers and plants. But without this rich soil, you’d never get those amazing greens, yellows, and violets. I think you’ve often had that same tendency in life as well. You celebrate the high and beautiful moments, and then are so quick to pray for relief from the situations that lead to incredibly colorful life. What parts of your life right now are you experiencing, that could simply be rich soil that I intend to grow beautiful new life from??”
“Well…a few at least. There’s this reeeealllllyyyy long wait we’ve been going through to bring home our daughter from Africa.”
(smiles) “That’s definitely rich soil, and I hope you’ve noticed that I’ve already begun to grow some pretty beautiful things from within that wait. You’re wrapping your family around something much larger, and talking to your kids and even other people about my heart for my children in Africa. That’s something I’d snap a picture of.”
At this point, a man rides by on a bike the opposite direction. In a brief moment, we share eye contact, and he speaks….”Hey, how’s it going?” I instinctively try to respond to his conversation starter, but by the time sound crosses my lips he is long gone. I look down and see this snail crossing the path.
“We sure are in a hurry sometimes, eh?”
“You are. It’s sad to see how much you miss out on sometimes, simply because you prioritize ‘moving on to the next thing’ more than having an actual conversation with someone…..or me.”
“God, I’ll confess, I do that. I don’t always have the strength or memory to slow down when I need to. Can you help me to remember, and sometimes just mess up my schedule so that I’m required to connect with others and you on a healthier level?”
“I’ve already begun….” 🙂
“Chadwick, look over here at these rocks. Notice how the flowers are growing up through the rocks? Does that remind you of anything?”
“Well, you told a parable about the seed that fell among the rocky ground, and the plants withered because they had no moisture.” (Luke 8:6)
“Right, but look at what’s happening here. It’s not a deep rocky bed. It’s just a few surface rocks, with incredible soil underneath. So many times, humanity feels like the current challenges and hardships, or evil on the surface of a situation means nothing can grow there. But they don’t see what I see. There is incredible depth of rich soil, even where many would think a seed would never grow. Never forget the Hope of what I can see…”
At this point, I began to regret the idea of taking off my shoes and turn to start walking back. You see, around 9am it had rained quite a bit. Everything began cool and wet. But now it was about noon and the sun had been shining on the black paved walking path for quite a while. My feet were feeling the burn…
“Hey Chadwick, remember learning when you were a kid that white reflects sunshine, and black absorbs it? Why not try walking on this center dividing line?”
(I begin to walk on the line, and immediately my feet are cooled. Like, almost abnormally cooled, as if I were walking on a large cold water pipe.) “Wow, thanks for that reminder, this is much better.”
(God smiles, obviously bursting at the seems to make the cheesy illustration I assume He’s about to make.)
“I know, I know….you want to remind me that whenever life seems to be getting uncomfortable, it may just be a case of me needing to re-center my life on you….and walking the narrow path…..right?
“Um…actually, I was just about to crack up laughing. You look funny walking like a tightrope walker in the middle of a giant forest.” (He proceeds to belly laugh, as the trees shake in the wind…I smile, and continue walking my tight-rope until I find my shoes again. It was a good walk….)
words from wick 