I decided to walk to the post office today. It's about a mile away, and the sky was clearing up after some morning rain. A few things motivated this walk. 1. The post office is notorious for having a long line and putting people in a bad mood, and something about walking there gives me an unnatural amount of patience, as I am clearly not in a hurry. 2. The signs of spring are everywhere, and I am just loving the chance to soak it all in. 3. Good exercise....and more exciting than being on a treadmill.
The thought of making it a prayer walk ran through my head as I was grabbing the things I needed. Historically, I associate prayer walks with organized church activities, and not the spontaneous, but intentional conversation with God that I experienced today. I got this idea to pray through the alphabet....that I would just say a prayer for each letter as God brought someone or something to mind. Here's a little recap.
A is for Anika, a friend who lives in Colorado.
B is for Birds, and a reminder of God's promise that if He cares about the details of the lives of the sparrows, how much more does He care about me?
C is for Coffee with Jenna this afternoon.
D is for Dad.
E is for Emily, my cousin in Kansas.
F is for Freedom, specifically the freedom to live a life for Christ without fear of persecution, and subsequently, I prayed for the many Christians around the world who do not have that luxury.
G is for Gifts, and how giving gifts is one of the ways we show love to others, and that gifts do not need to be flashy or expensive. Gift giving is an art, a discipline, and a love language.
H is for Hadijah, one of my nurse friends in Kenya.
I is for Intentionality (which apparently is not even a real word??) God reminded me that it is not better or worse to be intentional versus spontaneous - that either one can become an idol in our lives and prevent God from doing His work in us. Being intentional can make us controlling, have unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others, and hold us in bondage. At the same time, being spontaneous can make us apathetic, miss out on opportunities, and convey to others that we do not care. Of course, on the flip side, being intentional allows us to be a good steward of our time and resources, and being spontaneous allows us to be sensitive to God's spirit.
J is for Joy, my aunt in Florida.
K is for Karlee, my friend in Seattle.
L is for Lighthouse, the name of a Rend Collective song that has been one of my anthems lately. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPtIv2lnkTY
M is for Mom.
N is for New, and all of the new things that God is doing in my life.
O is for Olivia, a friend in San Jose, who is coming to visit next week. (I am just a LITTLE excited about it :)
P is for Pavement....the sidewalks, the paved roads, and more generally, the ease of transportation that so many people around the world do not experience. So easy to take that for granted....
Q is for Quiet, and for learning to embrace the stillness and the silence.
R is for Restlessness, and for how it pushes me to step out in faith and ask hard questions and make changes.
S is for Spring, particularly all of the blossoms on the trees.
T is for Tenderloin, a part of San Francisco that is known for being in need of Jesus. My sister is going to be doing an internship there this summer. I know it will stretch her and make her uncomfortable at times, but I also know God is going to use her.
U is for Universal, and how God is the same all over the world.
V is for Vegetables, and how I am coming to appreciate them more in my home cooking adventures.
W is for Water....how I have clean water to drink from my tap (or I can afford to buy water), and running (& hot) water to shower in. Every day. Without going anywhere.
X is for eXtra. I have always had more than I have needed. I use to feel a lot of guilt about that, but I now just try to be a good steward of the things that I have been given.
Y is for Yesterday. Thank you Lord for the my past and how that has brought me to the present.
Z is for Zoya. She just went to San Francisco for her transplant. Praying for her and her family as they embark on this next part of her treatment.
Amen.
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