Devotional 4-7-09

I like to walk. The older I get the more I NEED to walk but, nonetheless, I like it. I strap on the iPod, turn it up LOUD and off I go. Weather permitting, outside is best. Ritter Park is ideal. My neighborhood, not so much. The exercise is enhanced by the 5 iron I have to carry to keep the non-leashed dogs out of my ‘personal space’.

The weather is not always a cooperative friend, and outside does not always work. For those times I use a treadmill. Now a treadmill, while it may look dwarfed inside of Sears or Dick’s – is NOT small. Finding a place for one is sort of like trying to stash away an extra twin bed or a refrigerator lying on its side. Ours is nestled against an outside wall in the family room. As I walk my field of vision is this; to the left, the 12 inch edge of a five shelf book case. The angle is too severe to read even a single title. The wood grain makes a nice pattern and well, ho hum, six seconds into an average 3600 second walk, and it’s time to move on. To the right is the TV. It too, in my opinion, is at too severe an angle to be much good. Plus the volume, to be at a level good for me, would vacate everyone else from the room. Straight ahead is the door to the room. With it closed, appearing at just about my eye level, the wood grain makes a pattern that I think resembles a butterfly. I find it pretty cool. The concentric circles that radiate from it maker a larger butterfly, then a pair of eyes and finally a pair of eyes in a mask. (Trust me – if you saw it you would agree.) The butterfly stuff is cool, the eyes kind of spooky and the whole thing – not enough to keep my attention for an hour.

To remedy this narrow field of view, I close my eyes. Ah, the age of discovery. I have discovered that I cannot walk, unaided, with my eyes closed. I walk along, arms swinging and in a matter of left – right - left, I am off balance nearly ready to stumble to the ground. The treadmill is far too willing to help me with this. It knows only forward. The speed is set and despite the capitalized bold letters on its sleek plastic case; DIGITAL CONTROL INTERFACE, GIGO applies > garbage in garbage out. Without having been told any different, when I find myself wobbling, it goes right on and would think nothing of it to throw me into the floor (and on anything that happened to be between me and the floor; the coffee table, the easy chair, the dog). But wait, another discovery. If I can touch the edge of the hand rail on the treadmill I can walk, literally the entire time, with my eyes shut. It does not have to be a white-knuckled grip as if I were on a moving train or rolling bus, just the slightest touch, and I seem to have my bearings, and all is well. Such it is with my life. I take off at break neck speed, thinking I have everything under control, only to find out that I have begun my journey with my eyes closed. Children to raise, people to meet, a career to maintain. All with my eyes closed. Left – right - left and I am again off balance and ready to fall.

It is easy to lose sight of God when your eyes are not open. Seeing God, finding God, for me, does not have to be a vise grip on the altar rail. It can be the slightest “touch”; seeing the love in my family’s faces, the support of Koinonia, the fellowship in Andrew’s Brothers, a message received during worship, gut wrenching laughter during a meal shared with friends. As recorded in the Gospels, the believer said “if I can but touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed.” God is never further away than my arm is long. If I reach He is there. I am steadied, I am righted, I am balanced, I am healed.

Steve Matthews

Mission Prayer Focus and response:
April 7: Volunteers in Mission, Summersville; Tom Clark, Director
They offer everyone a chance to participate in a hands on mission experience in many places around the world.
Today we pray for Volunteers in Mission. This is one of the tangible ways we are in mission around the world. Give $1.00 for every person in your household who has been on a mission trip.