WALKING AND HEARTBURN

Did you hear about the little man who was told by his doctor that he needed to walk at least one mile a day and call him back in two weeks so he could see how he was doing?  Well, in two weeks his phone rang and the little man said, “Doctor, I have followed your directions exactly as you prescribed.  I walked one mile a day for two weeks.”  “Great, The doctor said.  How are you feeling?” To this the man replied, “Oh, I feel wonderful, but I have no idea where I am.”

That could have been me!   Every morning I hear those dreaded words when Jo Anne says, “Come on Dale, it is time to go to the mall and walk.”  Ugh!  But hey, I’m just glad I am able to walk, so I’m really not complaining. (I don’t think) I just wish the stores would change their displays more often. 

But you know, the most important walk all of us take is the walk through life!   What we see as we go along depends on our attitude as we walk.  Or as some might say, “The color of our glasses.”
This week following Easter reminds me of two men who took a seven mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus.   They had just heard that Jesus’ tomb was empty and that He had risen from the grave. I bet they were not talking about the weather or the political climate of the day. 

I would like to point out four things that stand out to me about their walk and how they relate to us today.

1.       As they walked, they were more interested in the things of God than they were in the things of the world.  And because of that, Jesus Himself appeared and walked along beside them.  As we walk down our journey of life, if we are more interested in the things of God than we are the things of the world, Jesus will be our traveling companion as well.

2.       After walking with them for the entire day, Jesus, “Opened their eyes” so they could recognize Him and gave them a new vision of who He was and what He could mean to them along their journey.  In that same way, He wants to remove the “Spiritual Cataracts” from our eyes so that we can see things through His eyes of love and compassion. He wants us to be able to see His will for our lives.

3.       After Jesus left them they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us?”  How long has it been since you’ve had “Spiritual Heartburn?”  I find that the closer I walk with Him, the more often I experience the heartburn of His spirit. And don’t give me a Zantac!  Let er burn!

Why not read the story for yourself from Luke 24:13-35 and see what He says to you.