I may have been born in the wrong country. I’m indifferent to cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, boats, all the loud, powerful machines that prove manhood in America. I prefer transportation fueled by my own muscles: walking, running, paddling, biking.
I think one reason is that getting around under my own power is a celebration of capability - I can. I’m not intimidated by the miles, or the exertion. I feel good when I do it. Another reason is that instead of flying by my community, I get to see and experience it. I encounter people and can say hi or chat. I notice the window-boxes and feel the weather. I can take a photo if I want.
That’s why, for me, walking through life as a picture of my faith journey has always resonated. Even more so when I read the Apostle John’s second letter. He writes (v4-6) “It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
John describes the kind of walk I’m supposed to take, one defined by truth, made in obedience to the command to love. My walk has a purpose. Whenever or wherever I go, there are two pieces of gear I take with me that prepare me for any contingency or opportunity: truth and love.
Why those two? John writes this letter to advise on what to do about deceivers who do not acknowledge the divinity and lordship of Jesus - plenty of those around these days. I carry truth with me to combat the lies. I take along love so that my words will be helpful, and my actions will too.
A walk with a purpose and destination is a journey, and it’s best to be well equipped. With truth and love I should be ready for my faith journey. Those are tools I need to hone.
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