WALKING...

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” Psalm 40:2 NLT

Years ago my friends used to call me “Little Big Step” because at 5’2”, I liked to walk quickly, taking long strides. And there was a time when my children were small and we lived on Bainbridge Island, WA, by Wing Point, that I “power walked” the neighborhood for sanity and fitness. During that season in my life, my husband had a T-shirt made for me that read the “Wing Point Walker.”

I’m not saying that I was “athletic,” because I wasn’t, but I did love to walk… especially in the woods or at the beach. Yet, now I realize that I took my ability to walk for granted. Something as simple as walking in your house, through a store, to a classroom, in a church, is really a pleasure. Just ask someone who can’t.

In January 2003, I scheduled surgery to have both of my knees replaced at the same time. Even though osteoarthritis runs in my family, I hadn’t given it much thought…until I turned 45 years old. Then the pain in my knees became excruciating and my steps got smaller and smaller. Boy did I feel grounded and OLD.

As the director of a growing Pregnancy Care ministry, I had lots of work to do to protect women and babies in my community, so I was determined to recover quickly. What I wasn’t prepared for was the doctor’s further prognosis that my hip needed to be replaced too! Oh my! I would truly be bionic. Fear and disappointment flooded my heart and I really needed Jesus to steady me. With the many prayers of friends and family, we got through the difficult surgeries and Jesus helped me walk again!

Since those days I have had both knees and both hips replaced and have leaned on Christ to rebound, enjoying the simple pleasure of walking. However, it seems my challenges are not quite ended. Just recently we discovered that my left hip has a problem with the bone receding away from the artificial joint. They are saying it’s time for more surgery (including a cadaver bone graft) and I am seeking the face of my Blessed Redeemer. He has promised to place my feet on solid ground and to steady me as I walk along. His faithfulness to His Word gives me the courage to trust Him yet again! No matter what happens I know that I can always choose to “walk in His Spirit!”

How about you?
What are the simple pleasures in your life that you might be taking for granted...
making a lunch date with an adult child who lives close by, kneeling in the garden or by your bed in prayer, the smile of a grandbaby, hiking, watching a sunset?


Let us never take for granted the blessings of everyday life!
May God prove His faithfulness in every situation you are facing today.
                                             Walk on!

Rachel Olsen from Proverbs 31 has allowed us to share our devotions today by linking to her website http://www.rachelolsen.blogspot.com/. The above was written in response to the prompt "Simple Pleasures."

              Visit her blog and you'll be blessed!