MORNING WALK
Written by Luz Leigh
14
September 2007
The morning
air was cool, almost crisp. It was the sort of
weather we in Texas feel when autumn is
approaching and the long hot summer days are
fast becoming a memory. I was enjoying my
morning walk around the neighborhood, not
because I like to look at my neighbors’ yards
or try to avoid their pesky dogs, but because
my primary doctor has advised me to walk each
day. The early morning hours are the best time
for this activity.
I do not
venture far from my home, only a few
blocks. Not only am I a “home body”, but just
in case I tire to the point of not being able
to continue, I will have only a short walk. As
I rounded the curve in the street heading back
home, I could see my house. You know the
one….the red brick with no flowers in the yard
and only a few shrubs. Two of the trees are
now memories after I had them removed.
The house is
visible across a neighbor’s yard and if it
were absolutely necessary I suppose I could
take a shortcut. But, you see I know that tied
in the back yard is a rather formidable
looking husky. Running loose in a big yellow
dog. There is always the possibility that the
chain which is attached to the husky could
break or he could slip out of his collar. Then
where would I be?
In life we
must keep our eyes focused on our heavenly
home. There are times when the road of life
seems a little long and we think, “Hey, I can
just take a short cut.” Wrong. In that
shortcut sometimes are things that will cause
us to detour even more from the straight and
narrow. Sin can come between us and our path
to our eternal home, causing us to
stumble. Were I to stumble in the neighbor’s
yard, I would be easy prey for the dog(s).
When we stumble in our walk on the path to our
heavenly home, sin can overtake us, making us
more miserable than we already were.
So, I took a
deep breath, re-arranged my spray bottle and
my cane, and continued on the paved
street. The spray bottle? Oh, that contains
vinegar to squirt at any of the dogs that
might come to close to me. The cane? For
months I had to use it for support as I
walked, but now I carry it as another
protection from the dogs.
In our lives
our spray bottles and canes are our prayer
life and our studying of His Word. A daily
dose of these can shield us from the “dogs of
sin” that might be lurking behind a bush or a
parked car, just waiting to surprise us with
an attack when we are unprepared.
If you are
one of the walkers in your neighborhood, keep
focused on where you are going. Watch for any
hidden snares, be it dogs, pot holes in the
street or loose gravel, anything that might
cause you to stumble. In the same manner,
during your walk on the path to your heavenly
home, watch for things the devil will place in
your path. Keep your spray bottle and can
handy every day.
