I don’t know about you, but walking slowly kills me. Whether it be the zoo, the mall or the museum, there is lots of walking slowly while looking at things. I can walk quickly or run, but the slow walking makes me hurt in ways I never expect. Sometimes I feel like that’s how so much of life is—slow-walking through another problem, another dilemma, another decision. We can’t run through whatever it is, but have to maintain a slow, even pace.
I want the big moves! The big changes! The times when everything flips and you are dealing with a brand new thing. But often, we are called to the slow, steady pursuit of what God has put in front of us.
The beautiful news about this is that God has not abandoned us to do it alone. He never said we were supposed to be able to fulfill all the promises of God by ourselves, or that we should do all the good because we’ve generated enough willpower to make it through. Instead, He promises to be the power within us to walk the slow walk when it’s called for, to keep holding on when everything in us wants to quit or run.
Some people speak affirmations over themselves in the morning, hoping to bring out the best in themselves for the day. My mornings look a little different. “Jesus, thank you that you are my strength, my hope, my wisdom and my power to do today. I am really discouraged when I look at my own resources, and want to quit. But when I look at You--welcoming You to be Christ in me, the hope of glory—I can take another step and then another. Your supernatural power means that I can tackle even the most mundane, the most fear-inducing, and the most uncertain with a little slice of heaven.”
I think in a lot of ways, this year seems like a slow walk. We just keep moseying along through changes around us, continuing to press on. Sometimes the pressing on is the hardest part, as we want to quit or run away. A kind woman at last year’s women’s retreat asked me how she could pray for me, and I responded that I wanted to be faithful. It came out of my mouth without much thought, but now I realize why that was God’s thought for me for this year.
I want to be found faithful, even as He is faithful in and through me. That doesn’t mean that I’ve got lots of faith, but simply that I hang on to Jesus with a desperation that acknowledges He is all I need. We press on towards the purpose that Jesus has for us, acknowledging our place sitting with God in the heavens (Eph 2:6). None of this is because of our strength or morality—it is simply because God’s power makes it possible, both the saving and the continued living.
Press on, my friends. Even when the walk is slow and seems excruciating. Take only today and this moment, acknowledging the abundance of Jesus in it, and putting one foot in front of the other.
I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however, I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14