You know those days when the weather is just so perfect that you have to go for a walk? There’s just something so refreshing, so peaceful about focusing on everything and nothing at the same time. I can be so zeroed in on my to-do list, work tasks, social media, etc., but then I’ll stick my phone in my pocket, get up from my desk, and press reset. A whole ecosystem unfolds around me, from kids playing catch in their front yards to airplanes soaring overhead. It makes me pause and think about how freaking lucky I am to live in such a placid place when war, poverty, and oppression ravage so much of the world, even just up the road.
What I love most about my walks, though, is that it provides me space to listen. I am but a mere observer, accomplishing nothing other than moving my feet and taking in the flood of senses around me.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is that of Zechariah, husband of Elizabeth and uncle to Jesus, who was made mute for his lack of faith. In Luke 1:20, the angel Gabriel explains, “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
As someone who (clearly) loves talking, this verse not only heeds great warning for trusting God…but it also highlights the blessing of silence. Zechariah grew closer to God by using the moment to reflect on his surroundings and the many ways in which God was moving through him. Two thousand years later, Christ continue to fill every, single space of this wide, beautiful world, and I’m just so grateful to be a small fixture in it.
Food for thought: What activity brings you peace?
Rachel Fisher 