As I sit and write this early on a summer morning, I see several people run by our house. I’ve never enjoyed running myself, although many do, but I do very much enjoy walking. Between walking Clara, our two-year-old Alaskan Malamute, a few times daily, and my own afternoon walk, I try to get at least 5 miles of walking in each day, weather permitting.
I occasionally enjoy walking with friends and having good conversation. I miss walking with my friend Neil, who I walked about 6 miles with on a trail in town over a two-hour period on Wednesday mornings for a few years after I retired. I miss talking to my Dad on the phone on my afternoon walks, and still think of him as I pass the place early on my regular route where I asked him through tears, on perhaps our last phone call, if he was looking forward to seeing Jesus. I wanted to be sure. He was.
I enjoy walking with Clara through our neighborhoods and running into old and new friends, one in particular who took an early liking to Clara (who always has a supply of Greenies with her), and the feeling is certainly mutual. I enjoy walking in the park across the street from our home, marveling in God’s creation as I watch people playing disc golf.
I want to share three brief thoughts about my purpose in walking:

Health – In addition to getting Clara some exercise as we walk (a tired dog is a good dog!), I look forward to the exercise I get by walking. Again, I strive to walk 5 miles a day. I track my progress (daily, weekly, monthly and year-to-date), on the health app on my phone. If the weather is such that if I can’t walk, I have the option of using our exercise bike, on which I can do my daily devotional reading while I bike.

Growth – My afternoon walk is almost always on a route just over 2 miles in length that I complete in 38 minutes, so it’s not a big-time commitment. I listen to a sermon or conference message for the first half of the walk, usually using the Ligonier Ministries app.

Prayer – The last part of my walk is devoted to prayer. I use the ACTS model:
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication

I love to pray while walking in God’s beautiful creation.
Are you a runner or do you enjoy walking more? Either way, you can grow and pray as you exercise.