I’ve been walking a lot lately.  I mean a lot.  At first, I had a goal to walk a mile a day but I kept expanding my walks and now I’m walking around 8 miles a day.  All this walking has had a tremendous impact on me.

The Physical Benefit

Of course, it’s good for me physically.  There’s no doubt about that.  My calves and feet hurt on occasion and my bald head gets a little too much sun from time to time too but it’s been a relatively painless activity and the physical benefits are obvious.

At some point, I downloaded the Nike+ app for my phone and started tracking my speed.  (I had been tracking my distance with a pedometer but not my speed.)  Then, I started to compete with myself a bit and started walking a little faster on each trek.

I’ve had a treadmill for ages and I’ve used it a many times but, honestly, I found it to be very boring.  Walking outside has helped overcome the boredom factor.  Well, that and listening to a bevy of great podcasts and audio books.

Power Walkers

I think there’s something deeply spiritual about walking.  Moses walked.  Elijah walked.  Jesus walked.

I know what you’re thinking.  “Everybody walked back then!”  Well, not exactly.  People of significance would ride.  They’d ride an animal, or a chariot pulled by animals, or even a fancy pallet carried by other people.  The point was that if you were important you wouldn’t really walk.

Jesus bucked that trend and only rode something once.  He rode a donkey into town during his triumphal entry.  It was a humble ride to be sure.  Something akin to riding into town in a VW bug instead of a limo.  Still, He only rode once.  On every other occasion He walked.

If anyone could have argued for the need for a faster, better, more efficient means of transportation, it would have been Jesus and, yet, He chose to walk.  He chose to walk dusty, dirty roads.  He chose to walk with His followers and teach them along with way.  He also chose to walk to Golgotha, his place of death,  and for part of that journey he carried his cross.

He was a walker.

The Real Benefit

As I’ve been walking, I’ve been amazed at how much the Lord has been using these walks to speak to me.

It gets me out from behind my computer, my books, and my social media feeds.  It gets me to a place where He can just join me for a walk around the neighborhood and, like He loves to do, He teaches me along the way.

Are you a walker?  Does God use walks in your life?  Let me know about your experiences below.