For me, this is a fractured time. Plans for exciting international travel are dashed. Visits with family in other cities on hold. The serendipity of seeing friends and meeting new people at church postponed. And now grief over the recent tragedies and current unrest.
Yet, I’m extremely blessed. I thank our Father for a loving husband, a comfortable home, friends and a very beautiful spring with his glories shining throughout the skies and bursting forth in renewed life in our gardens. Most important, I am blessed to be a believer, especially during this time. A childhood friend recently observed, “I don’t know how people can get through these times without faith.”
For me, it is not sufficient to be alone with the Lord in prayer or in Bible study. I rely on a living faith that requires being with others in Christ’s family, particularly our Holy Trinity family. I have several ties even during this time of not being able to physically worship together – community group, Zoom Working Women of the Word (WWoW) and several special friends from Holy Trinity. But, for these times, he has brought a new person and a new faith practice into my life – a walking prayer partner. We didn’t know each other that well to start with, but with frequent prayer-filled walks, we’ve deepened our Christ-based friendship and rested in community with him. As she says, we triangulate with the Holy Spirit as we walk socially distant and pray together. We can’t hug, we can’t touch, but we are physically together and close enough to hear, far enough apart from others to have privacy in our discussions.
So, how do I cope during these times? By focusing on the fact that “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Not alone but in community with a walking prayer partner. “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11). I’m nourished by praying together, refreshed in the open air and calmed by the motion of walking. And, though begun in this season of turmoil, I want to keep it a regular faith practice.
If you’re interested, what do you need to do? Ask the Holy Spirit to nudge you with the name of someone you know at Holy Trinity. Then, reach out to that person, even your spouse, find a quiet place to walk and focus on sharing prayers as you walk.
Randi Wood
Holy Trinity Member
