Walk


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
March 18, 2009

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -Hebrews 11:6 NIV

The foggy mornings are turning in to beautiful summer afternoons. With the shadow of winter slowly fading, I am longing for spring to emerge in its fullness. The break in the weather also is an invitation to spend more time outdoors. It seems natural to dust off the walking shoes after a winter’s nap and take it all in, one step at a time. Armed with my new pedometer, I have heard that we must strive to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. After the first day, I realize I am way short, but I will keep trying!

I think that our faith can be compared to a walk. If we have the goal to live a peaceful life, live in harmony and obedience in all of God’s commands, to posses a pure heart, to be used by Him, it takes more than a few steps. It takes commitment of time and effort. So how can we build faith? It is by reading God’s Word. Really reading it and listening for the words that are spoken to our hearts. Applying what we learn and remaining faithful in our relationship with God. Even when we feel like it is a one-way relationship where we are doing all of the talking, we are to remain faithful in our spiritual walk. But what happens when we are faithful and things are not working out? When life gets tough and we mistakenly feel that maybe God has even abandoned us, we are to keep believing. Have you ever prayed and your prayer was not answered. In fact, the opposite happened. Where was God? Isn’t He always there? Then the doubting begins. That is when faith is even more important. We can’t see God. We can’t touch Him. Yet, we must believe in Him. That is faith. Hebrews 11:1 explains that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Our daily walk and our spiritual walk are both measured the same, in steps. Believing in God will cause our faith to grow as we step into a deeper relationship with Him.