“Enoch walked with God, and then he was not, for God took him.”

I have been walking every day I can find the time and making the most of the pleasant weather. When I first started walking, I just threw on some flip-flops and headed out to one of the parks in town. My main thought was to get some sun and fill up my vitamin D tank. (Be healthy about it and don’t forget to grab some sunscreen to put on.)

But as the summer progressed, I found my walking had some beneficial side-effects. One particular benefit I wasn’t expecting was better posture. It just automatically comes with toning and exercising your core. Sitting behind a desk in an office all day is not good for the body. (or the soul for that matter.)

Getting Serious

I upgraded to some cushy walking shoes because my speed got faster and I went from leisurely flip-flopping for 30 minutes to walking at a faster pace for more than an hour. Any longer than an hour-and-a-half, and I’m feeling it in my back and hips. But hopefully I’ll build up endurance to keep it up for two hours. Then, if I can ever get my hands on a bicycle, I’ll switch over and cycle come Fall with its cooler weather. It’s been a fluid progression to start out walking like I was headed to the mailbox and my body increased in ability over the course of a month. Pretty cool how efficient and adaptable we humans are.

Just start, that’s all. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes. And before you know it, you’ll have your own little program going. The shoes I bought were cheap enough – nothing crazy – but importantly, they fit well and keep my knees from hurting. Good shoes will help you walk for longer periods of time without wearing you out.

Here’s a great article for beginners that goes into the specifics of walking on Very Well Fit And more info about shoes and such.

But the best benefit of walking, besides the sunshine, is it gives me time with God. I talk to Him, or pray to Him – really it is a conversation. If you’ve never had a conversation with God – like you would with a friend – I would encourage you to approach Him in this way.

God is Always Available

He’s not a God that is only accessible when we are in church, or quiet and in a reverent posture (whatever that means to you) but He is accessible at all times, in all situations. A personal relationship with God is like no other. He created you, He knows you like no one else ever will. He counts every hair on your head – that’s how much everything about you means to Him!

Enoch Walked With God

The Bible says Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years. Then I guess he got so close to Him that one day, God just took him. All other people were described as ‘died’ or ‘was laid to rest’, but not Enoch. He was just taken up to heaven it sounds like to me. Fascinating!

So, concerning these sunshine walks; maybe one brisk morning while I’m out talking with God among the cicadas songing in the trees, the sun shining, or the summer rain sprinkling and like that – “I was not, for God took me”….

Yeah, probably not but if nothing else, I’ll have walked and talked with a Friend who will never leave me, and that’s good enough for me.

Find your ideal park and get out there in the sunshine! Fill up your vitamin D tank, enjoy the extra benefits and let your body take care of the rest. You’ll feel much better, trust me : )