take a walk

I am not a fan of Miley Cyrus.  Now her dad, Billy Ray, is a different story.  His song (you know the one!) came out when I was at cheerleading camp one summer, and it was quickly incorporated into a dance finale for all the girls.  No, I was never any good at cheerleading.  But in elementary school, in those days at least, you just showed up, waved pom poms, and learned life skills.  Anywho… the point is, Miley came out with a song years ago called “the Climb”.  Boy did I hate that song.  It did not help that the radio was completely saturated with it.  I particularly did not like the concept that it is “not about the destination, but the journey”.  How dumb, I thought, what’s the point if you aren’t getting to your destination?
 
Well, this morning I had to reconsider.  I was reading John 4, where it talks about Jesus traveling from Judea and his destination being Galilee.  During the travel, he had to cross through Samaria.  There he takes a break by the well (Jacob’s) and the disciples go into town to buy food.  He proceeds to have the conversation with the  Samaritan woman who was also at the well, and reveals himself to her as being the Messiah.  A fantastically interesting read in of itself, however what struck me today, was how Jesus took every opportunity on his journeys to be accessible to others.  Whether speaking to one, or many, healing crowds of people, or individuals coming directly for his touch, he often took pause to meet needs.  And why did he know there were needs?  Because he walked. 
 
The concept that Jesus and his disciples walked pretty much everywhere was not new for me.  But I never really gave it much thought until today.  When your purpose is to get where you are going, your mindset follows that anything that deters or hinders timely completion of your goal is a distraction, and therefore should be shut down and ignored.  I don’t mean this as a distinction between “goal oriented” people and “task oriented” ones, this is something else entirely.  If Jesus saw a need, I do not recall reading that he ever responded with, “Not now, I gotta keep on schedule to get to my destination”.  Sometimes his disciples gave pushback, but not Jesus.  And he certainly didn’t see someone who needed healing and retort, “This will have to wait, I’ve got to keep pace to hit the next town.  I’ll catch you on the journey back”.  Yet far too often, those have been my internal lines when I see a need.
 
Now actually seeing needs is also something that bears a good time of pondering.  You know that whole eyes to see and ears to hear thing?  Well it is worth considering here too.  If I am not looking, I won’t see.  That seems stupid to say, but I think you get what I mean.  When I get caught up going somewhere, I seldom look around on the way.  And even if I do, I rationalize that my “calling” is to get to where God told me to go.  Or even more “everyday moment” is a trip to Target.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen needs all around me on my wait at the stoplight in front of the store and thought, “Well If it still looks like this when I’m on my way back, I might try to help out”.  Unless I have somewhere else to go afterwards.  Then it just clearly isn’t for me to mess with… or is it?
If we are Jesus’s hands and feet, then we should do what he did.  Not when or if it is convenient, not scheduled like a service project, not when it’s comfortable or when we have the proper supplies.  Every day, in all situations, in all settings.  THAT is how Jesus loved.  THAT is what our Lord commands of us too.  The verse below references Jesus – we should take it to heart and heed what it implores.  Daily.
 
Is. 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of our God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.