Going for a Walk

Last fall, as the weather began to cool I spent a good amount of time walking. One day, I took an unfamiliar shortcut through a field that sloped down the side of a large hill. There was no worn path, just long grass which had been beaten down by previous storms and had become entangled and difficult to navigate. I slowly made my way through discovering rabbit holes, snakes, and who knows what else lay hidden beneath the long grass and the bramble. From time to time there were tiny drop-offs or larger rocks that were virtually undetectable; careless placement of my foot would cause my ankle to twist or bring me down the hill much more quickly and painfully than I was prepared to go. I had to plot every step and walk with great care. Making mental notes of the actions I took that were safe and those that were not, I learned what to avoid. Stumbling reminded me to take better care and alerted me to deception, ground I believed to be solid but proved unsteady. I made it but had I carelessly tried to rush through, it probably would not have been without serious injury. 

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-16, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The word translated "circumspectly," is the Greek word, akribos, which describes something characterized by exactness and thoroughness, in addition to the associated idea of looking, examining, and investigating something with great care and alertness. Akribos implies strict conformity to a standard, involving both detail and completeness, with a focus on careful attention. Paul refers to our Christian walk, how we conduct ourselves in this life. The way in this world is littered with temptation and our "adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." It's important we "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called." That means knowing the God we serve and His will, then evaluating and re-evaluating our desires and decisions that they might always bring honor to God's name. We must examine ourselves by looking at our motives, our behavior, our longings, all the things that tell us who we are and who we serve with the purpose of living in alignment with Christ. It also means we walk as those who are aware of the dangers and pitfalls in life; we are aware of the harm Satan wishes to cause at any cost, and we know to resist him. We rely on the discernment of the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth. To fail to walk circumspectly is to walk as a fool.

But, Paul adds, we are to redeem the time because the days are evil. Time is short! If we are to walk carefully, paying close attention, how are we to redeem the time? Sometimes walking circumspectly means making every minute count-- like evaluating every step in a field, but with brevity, just in case a snake decides to pop out and say "hello." To walk circumspectly, redeeming the time is to walk carefully, not fearfully; efficiently, not hastily. Jonathan Edwards, in his diary, resolved never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way he possibly could. 

So let us all walk circumspectly, certain our behavior is reflecting the God we serve and making sure His message reaches as many as possible, through our words and our deeds.