First Baptist Church of Herndon

Walk this way!

Linda Soller | Mar 07, 2016

When I hear the expression, “walk this way,” I immediately think of the movies and TV shows where the butler answers the door and as he leads the guests to another room they jokingly mimic his actual walk. They know he means walk in this direction, but they take it literally. Some of us like specific clear directions, we may take things literally. We gain comfort and experience less stress when we know what is expected of us. I was such a kid. In school I wanted to know exactly what the teacher expected. If a deadline was given, it was engraved in stone in my mind. Others feel better when things are left a bit more open to interpretation. They were the students who thought the expression, “due on Thursday,” meant due on or about Thursday. I can’t say if they lead a less stressful life, nor can I speak to how they came to feel that way, but we all know someone like that.

It is always interesting to hear how people have adapted these approaches to life as they turn in to adults and look at the question of faith. One congregation may be so loose in interpreting the Bible that the individuals don’t know where they are heading. Other congregations may be so dogmatic as to make their members feel guilty for not towing the line as specifically directed. In actuality most congregations fall somewhere in between. One person visits church after church seeking a place to belong unsure of what that perfect place will look like. Another person states they could never be a “such and such” without ever stepping inside the door.  How is this connected to dealing with direction and deadlines? Well we are all here for a limited time and we know the Bible tells us God is the Way.

As we approach Easter and considering one of the more commonly known events in the Bible, the crucifixion of Jesus, it is a good time to reflect on the direction of our lives. Jesus knew His short life was about to end as He headed to Jerusalem. He was facing a very specific deadline and He understood what He was going to experience on the way. His followers were not as clear on the matter. They held out hope He would be with them for a long time. The disciples strike me as people who saw this as a cloudy and possibly changeable deadline. I don’t think they wanted to accept the direction they were going in as final. Jesus said, “Pick up your cross and follow me.” In other words, walk this way.

Have a great week!  :o)  Linda