I’ve kept handy a copy of  an April Prevention magazine , which has a excellent walking plan, and I  even bought the magazine editors’ book, Flat Belly Diet, which says on the cover “A Flat Belly is About Food & Attitude. Period. (Not a Single Crunch Required!).” The book  provides an eating regime of fat-melting foods.  As simple and as tasty as the authors tried to make their recipes, following the eating recommendations still requires shopping, planning and discipline.  (Not  always my strong suits.)

It’s not just that at  my age I’ve put on weight that refuses to  move or that I want smooth, tight abs.  I know that having stubborn fat around the abdomen is unhealthy.  I walk to stay fit both physically and spiritually. My body is stronger because of my brisk, hour-long walks and so is my faith.

During my walks, I take note of the birds chirping and darting about. I notice the shape of the clouds and blueness or grayness of the sky.  I pass people of all shapes, colors and sizes and wonder where their life journeys have taken them. Occasionally, I’ve walked laps around the high school track near my home with a  stranger and we shared our stories.  

Praying for others is a big part of my walks.  As much as I talk to and petition God when I walk, I also listen to hear God speak to me. Some days it’s more difficult than others to quiet the chatter in my head, but I’ve been fortunate on more than one occasion to get calm enough to recall a song, a saying, a sermon or a Scripture that brings clarity to a situation.   Peace fills my soul when I walk, whether alone or with a friend.

Today as I walked around the track, I repeated the ancient Eastern Orthodox church prayer that we discussed in my Shalem Institute class on Monday night. I let the Jesus Prayer, as it has been known as for centuries, soak through me. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”   It’s a prayer that I’ve uttered many times before in its simplest itineration, “Lord have mercy.”

A good walk strengthens body and soul. It takes you to both familiar  and unfamiliar places and  gives you new insights.  And hopefully day by day, my walking will help melt away what age continues to pile on.  A thousand steps a day, that’s the goal.

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” 

~Soren Kierkegaard

Related posts:

1. Flat belly, firm faith revisited: Discipline helps
2. Holding on with a knuckle-like faith
3. Deepening faith through spiritual direction