Disciplined walking

It was cold and windy last night!

When I went to bed I remember thinking “I don’t want to go walking in that cold wind.”

I even thought that it was going to snow overnight, it felt so cold when I came home in the dark evening.

So, this morning, when I awoke, the thought of rebellion came up to the surface again.

While I love the routine of walking early in the morning, this was one of those mornings where I really wasn’t eager, enthusiastic or delighted with the prospect of stepping out into the cold morning.

Instead, I put it off, and went to check email…

And facebook….

And search the web for ideas for a paper…

And read an article about Rabbi Abraham Herschel and Martin Luther King which told about their roles together working in the civil rights movement and Vietnam War opposition of the 1960s.

Finally, something Abraham Heschel* wrote began to ignite my motivation to get up and walk.

Heschel wrote of his participation in the civil rights marches, “my legs were praying.”

Thanks God, that was the kick I needed.

Morning walks are my time of Morning Prayer. I step out the door and collect my thoughts, recalling the people my life touches that are in need of prayer. Psalm 100 is my opening verse. Holy, Holy, Holy is frequently on my lips. I dispense with the prayer book, and rely on the words of songs, prayers and scripture which have become deeply embedded to rise up as I appreciate the beauty of my surroundings.

This morning, the prayers included people that now have difficulty, due to their health, to enjoy the simple pleasure of walking. I confessed my own reluctance to face this morning’s wind and cold and offered thanks for the extra layers of clothes I could put on to keep me from shivering.

Morning walking is an important component in my spiritual life. It is both physical and spiritual care. When my schedule limits my ability to maintain this discipline, I feel deprived. I can understand why the Gospels tell us that Jesus went off alone because my soul, my very being also requires this active time of prayer.

In this season of epiphany, we are all invited to look for God manifest around us. How are you experiencing God’s presence, and how do you replenish your spiritual well?

Do you need a partner to help you find time for discerning God’s presence in your life?

May you be blessed to discover that this month is filled with opportunity and delight in God’s ever expanding presence in the world.

* January 13 is the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Heschel. Rabbi Waschow explains that in Judaism the tradition of remembering the departed is done on the anniversary of the death, rather than the birthday because “only at one’s death do we know the entirety of the person.” Anglicans also use the date of one’s death to remember our saints, which is why Martin Luther King is in our cycle of Holy Women, Holy Men on April 4th.