Walk with me

Three words.

There is a famous photograph taken in 1961 of President John F. Kennedy walking side-by-side with his predecessor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was taken at the conclusion of a press conference after the disaterous Bay of Pigs invasion. After the conclusion of the press conference, when Kennedy's Press Secretary had told all the photographers to cease taking photos, one photographer saw this image and quickly snapped it. I think of this image often, even to the point of instructing the photographer at my 1999 wedding to take a similar photograph of myself walking with the wedding officiant, my good friend and pastor of 20 years, Rev. Dr. John Todd as we walked down a path with our backs to the camera.

There is something in those three words "Walk with me", that I find to be deeply personal. Walking alongside someone physically, or spiritually, or in a deep personal relationship indicates to me a desire to confer, to talk, to discuss, to share, to listen, to counsel wisely. That is why this photo has signifcance to me, because, despite the historical importance of this photo, it illustrates that concept of one seeking counsel from another: the younger man seeking the wisdom of the older and more seasoned man. 

Recently one of my friends, Leilani Strong Smith, shared something written by a Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, which I will share here:

"God walks 'slowly' because he is love. If he is not love he would have gone much faster. Love has its speed. It is an inner speed. It is a spriritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It is 'slow' yet is is lord over all other speeds since it is the speed of love. There is a reason people talk about 'walking with God', not 'running with God'. It's because God is love."

That started me pondering about those three words: walk with me. 

For you see, I use those words with great care and deliberation. 

I use them in my marriage. I want to walk with Brenda, both in the literal sense by being by her side (and we love to hold hands as we walk), but also in the figurative sense. I want to be by her side as an equal, as a counsel, as a friend, as a helpmate, as a companion. Walking with Brenda is not just that romantic image of holding hands while strolling on a beach boardwalk, but it is the commitment and promise I have made to her to be by her side. Now and always. 

But more importantly I use this in my relationship to God. God is not distant to me: He is by my side. And there are many times when I feel that sense that I am walking with Him, seeking His guidance, seeking His counsel, seeking His wisdom. It is a slow walk. It is a walk that encourages questions, and self awareness and honesty to myself. It is a walk where He listens, and only responds if I ask. I think of God and I as walking along a wooded pathway, hands behind our backs in contemplative listening and sharing. 

As I searched scripture this morning for this blog post, I only found one instance of God walking WITH someone, and that is Enoch, as related in Genesis 5:24 - "Enoch walked with God." My mind immediately paints an image of God, alongside Enoch, deep in discussion as they walked the sands of Babylon. 

Walk with me. How deeply personal and quiet those words are. And how I long to walk alongside those with whom I have deeply personal relationships.