Taking a Walk

Yesterday evening, I made every effort to get to Seqouah Hills (sp?) right before/at sunset. Sunset and sunrise are my very favorite and probably the best times to take outdoor photos.

I packed my camera, brought extra batteries, put on my tennis shoes, a baggy sweatshirt, threw my hair up in a messy bun and ran out the door. I thought my photography adventure would not begin until I arrived… However, the Lord had something so different in mind.

I rolled down my windows (because it felt so good outside) and began to soak in the weather, tuned my music station to worship and drove. Immediately my soul began to feel refreshed. My heart began to skip and dance and the Lord began to whisper comfort to my spirit.

You see, once again… the Lord knows you better than you know yourself. The Lord knew my spirit has been in need of some refreshing; that my disposition has been struggling a little as of late. And He knew just how to meet me where I was and help me. I though I was just going to go take some pictures, what was really happening was God had taken me away to become refreshed.

By the time I arrived at my destination, my spirit was soaring. I thought:

“Oh, these pictures will be wonderful.”
Thus, I began to walk looking for photogenic moments… but, I began to people watch (I’m really very guilty of this quite often).

The Lord spoke to me in that moment. I watched as all these people jogged, ran and rode their bikes. I watched them as the pushed themselves to the limit (there are even mile markers to let you know how far you've gone) and I found myself thinking " if only they’d slow down, they’d get to see the beauty of this sunset"… the way the light is reflecting off the leaves and filtering through the branches creating blotches of shadows on the gravel. They’d see the few leaves that have turned a fiery-red already, and they'd take in the magnificence of the surrounding houses.
But, you see…. This place is a place that revolves around show. Every house is over-the-top ornate and wealthy. The landscaping is pristine, the people there are well to do and the expectations of these well to do are very high.

I observed all of these people running and realized, that I was very out of place, in a messy bun, jeans, old tennis shoes and a oversized sweatshirt, while every other person there was wearing their Nike running shorts and tops, their biking suites and any other imaginable athletic wear. Geared up from head to toe in the finest of athletic wear these people were out running, not just for health’s sake, but for the image that it will gain them.

Please tell me, why is it necessary to gear up to run in a neighbor hood? Would you do it in your own? No, I think not. No, these people knew where they were running and who would be watching, thus, the “dressed for the occasion”… No one was walking (besides myself), all were pushing themselves to the limit in their garb. Why? Possibly because it was expected, everyone else there was doing it.

I kept walking, my ears tuned to the gravel that was crunching underneath my feet. For some reason it calmed me to hear it. The relaxed timing of it was a stark contrast to the sound of others running by… I found my pace much more pleasant to the ears and found it lent to more opportunities to hear the birds, the crickets and other pleasant outdoorsy songs. As soon as you pick up the pace, the sound of the gravel was no longer pleasant, but it rather drowned everything out, even my thoughts out.

My eyes met with inquisitive passers by as they noticed my smiles and my thoughtful expressions as I wondered at trees and scenery with my camera in hand. You could tell a select few would’ve loved to sacrifice their pressure to keep an image for just a moment to inquire as to my purpose; but alas, they did not.

They missed out.

God was calling me to take a breath… to take things in, to take Him in. He knew my heart loves beautiful things, and He allowed me to see them, and even contrast them to those who would sacrifice the beauty of that moment for running with their eyes closed.

My camera tried to capture those moments… but it only captured pictures that don’t do justice. It couldn’t capture the voice of God whispering in my ear, the sorrow of some of the hearts on bikes and in running shoes, or the joy of my heart for the gift of relishing this beauty. It could not capture the sound of gravel under my feet, or the rhythm of a pace reflective of Jesus’ words in my heart. It could not capture the stark contrast of the grandeur of homes around me against the oversized sweatshirt on my back. It could not reflect the joy of being so different that evening from everyone else who didn’t know how to slow down and listen.

It would be merely a picture… thus, in an attitude of relaxation, I’m afraid I only took a few pictures… but! There will be another time for that also.