There is an acting class exercise where one student draws a “situation” from a hat and walks across the stage according to what they read. No dialogue is allowed. The other students guess at what is going on in the walker’s life, what the actor is trying to express.

The situations can include any number of unusual situations.

“A child embarrassed by their clothes on their first day at a new school is walking across the front of a classroom.”

“A man going through a messy divorce who just lost his job is walking over a bridge.”

“A mother waiting up for her teenage child who has missed their curfew is walking to answer a knock at the door.”

They are fun exercises. Kind of like charades but only with walking.

It’s amazing what just a walk can convey. The watching students may not understand that the actor is a child at a new school, but they easily see embarrassment and anxiety in their walk. The audience may not be able to discern the reason for it, but they will see the desperation and hopelessness of the bridge-crossing actor’s walk. And they will sense the anger and trepidation of the waiting mother, not necessarily knowing it’s a mother or what she’s waiting for.

What does my walk say about me? When I walk through my day, what emotions, concerns, and beliefs are communicated?

“This is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Do people see my hope? Do they see my love for God and for them? Do they recognize my obedience to God and trust in Him?

I know I can’t convey all that with a simple walk. The “walk” in this verse means more than the literal walking I do. It’s how I live and do everything I do, the words I choose or avoid, the places I go or stay away from, who I invite along.

What do the watchers in my life see when I walk through my days? I hope they see my love, born from obedience to God.

Dear God,

I know my walk often does not convey love or obedience to you. I’m sorry about that. Please forgive me. Teach me to walk according to your command to love — in everything I do. No self-absorbed shuffling and slouching but purposeful strides toward helping, encouraging, and supporting others.