Walking Partners

My wife and I have been talking about walking for years. Both of us could stand to be in better shape (me far more than her), but we tend to slip into old patterns as us humans are given to do.

But for the past 4 months, my wife has been walking. Regularly. Every weekday. Exceptions only for horrific weather or sickness. A true commitment.

So, what changed? What happened 4 months ago that turned talking into walking?

Nancy started showing up on our porch.

Nancy is our next door neighbor. She didn't show up uninvited (she's not crazy), she started showing up because of a pact that she and Rachel made to go walking every day. So, now Rachel gets up, even on the days when she doesn't particularly want to, because she knows Nancy is waiting on the porch.

This is how I imagine Christian community can be.

It begins with a covenant. I can't just start showing up at your house and dragging you out of bed. I need to know from you (and you from me) that we are both committed to walking the walk and not just talking about walking. That's step one. It's a big step.

Once the covenant is made, we have to begin showing up on each other's porches. We have to do a little sharpening of iron, no matter how much it hurts. "No discipline is pleasant at the time," the scriptures state, but we make commitments and keep commitments because we believe that the Way is worth walking in. With the understanding that everybody needs the occasional sick day, we stop making excuses for ourselves and begin asking more of each other.

What happens then is that the real work begins. Sometimes we push each other, sometimes we wait for each other. Sometimes we understand that we have to slow the pace so that others can catch up, sometimes we call each other to push through, knowing the necessity of forward motion. We can be patient with one another so long as we share an understanding that we can. not. stop. walking.

This is what I imagine church to be, a gathering of walking partners, a people committed to moving forward in the Way of Jesus. No promises of an easy road, just people to walk it with you.

So, who wants to walk with me? Who else is tired of just talking about walking?