By Derek Maul
Friday was cold all day here in Wake Forest, 21-degrees in the morning, then hitting a high of 40 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day; sun shining, clear air, inviting. So I bundled up and walked to the Post Office, reminded of how grateful I am we live in a walkable town.
Typically we imagine we’re too busy, or that the tasks that press in on us are so very important. “No way!” someone exclaimed the other day; “I wish I had the time to do that kind of thing!” So I set my stopwatch, suspicious that walking to the post office isn’t really such a big deal. I was right – just twenty-five minutes to achieve a little exercise, to enjoy such a beautiful day, to drink in the fresh air, to appreciate the lovely town we live in, to keep my intrusive smart-phone deep inside a pocket, to take a few moments to whisper thanks to God.
I crossed the railroad and looked down the tracks, twin steel rails curving through a stand of trees, and I wondered about the journey. Not just The Journey, but my journey; my journey here to North Carolina, the journey Rebekah and I are on together, the way forward for us as a church, the call for each one of us to continually make our way – sometimes one hesitant footfall at a time – into a future that is defined by faith, hope, opportunity, and promise.
I tried to look beyond the bend, to peer past the turn, to look into the future – and of course I couldn’t. I used to worry about that, but now I realize that the truth of promise is who walks with me, not necessarily what’s around the next corner.
“God is the one who saved and called us with a holy calling. This wasn’t based on what we have done, but it was based on his own purpose and grace that he gave us in Christ Jesus before time began.” – 2 Timothy 1:8-9
