Speed is a measurement of distance over time. How far can you go in a certain time? In that equation, time is set and is a constant. A minute is always sixty seconds; and hour is always 60 minutes, and a day is 24 hours or 1,440 minutes. So, speed is then simply how far can you go in a set time.
But a long intentional walk, includes both distance and pace. Distance and pace are two distinct things but they are not unrelated. A sprinter can run 400 meters under a minute, an elite runner can run a mile under 4 minutes, but to date, no one can or has kept that pace for a full marathon of 26.2 miles.
I am not exactly sure how we measure the speed of life. Having said that, we all have a sense of speed in our lives, and it is almost always too fast. People report that their lives are going 100 miles an hour. We often talk about a need or desire to slow down and relax.
And while time marches on, we don’t know how much time we will have left. In life we don’t know how close we are to the finish line. Maybe if we did we might change the pace of our life by either speeding up to take in more, or slow down to drink deeply from the things we truly love.
If we knew how much time we had left, would we speed up and try to cram in all of the experiences we can in the time we have left; squeezing every last drop of juice from the fruit? Would we try to cram in the things on our bucket list or do all of the things we said we wanted to do but never had the time?
Or perhaps, we would slow down and savor every moment, focusing on the things that were really important? Would we linger longer at the beauty of a sunset or savor the moments of peace with deep gratitude for the people who matter the most to us?
A Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama suggests that God walks three miles an hour. While I have not read this book yet, I am intrigued by the idea that our walk with God is meant to be at a certain pace. In his book, Three Mile an Hour God, he writes, ‘Love has its speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore the speed the love of God walks.’
I think our life should be “a long intentional walk”. The beauty of God’s abundant and full life is found not just at the final destination, but in each intentional step as we walk with Him at his speed. We just need to be able to see and enjoy this walk, even today!
Lord, help me see that today.
A Long Intentional Walk 