I have walked 600 miles since August 2020, the start of the 100 Miles for Hope campaign. It has been a source of joy to walk these days, especially as the spring weather makes it more pleasant to walk in my neighborhood streets and the city park. I have noticed more people walking in the spring than during the cold winter months. I’ve been using a map to visualize the distance I’ve covered, as if I’m walking along the I-90 West from Cambridge to Seattle. My 3-mile daily walks have accumulated to 600 miles and counting. Walking has become a joyful part of my daily routine. I look forward to going out to get fresh air, which energizes me. Walking is highly recommended by doctors as a way to maintain good health.
Joy is a gift from God. The Bible says, “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). It is produced out of heart like living water that flows abundantly. In the Bible there is a story about Jesus and a woman of Samaria engaging in a conversation about living water. Jesus announces to her the good news of how she can receive the living water, saying, “Everyone who drinks of this water (from Jacob’s well in Sychar) will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. [It] will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Our church has named our children’s ministry “JOYland,” JOY being an acronym for “Jesus, Others, and You.” We teach our youth from an early age to prioritize Jesus above all, and to seek to learn more about our Lord and Savior. When people believe in Jesus, a fountain of joy flows from their heart, which comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
On the last day of Sukkot, a Jewish feast, in Jerusalem, Jesus declared to the crowd, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,’” a reference to the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). Today, many people are heavily burdened by finances, unemployment, family troubles, depression, guilt, fear - the list goes on. As Jesus knows and sees such problems of mankind, he has invited us to come to him: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus is where we can find joy, peace, purpose and the meaning of life. The Bible teaches us that coming to Jesus is just the beginning of the eternal joy that we’ll have in His presence.
People want to be joyful. We experience joy when we receive a college admissions letter or a job offer, when we graduate or get married, or when we are honorably discharged from active duty. In 1977, when I worked as a hospital chaplain intern at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in California, I enjoyed watching family members and relatives looking into the nursery room through the window. All of them were joyful to see the newborn baby, waving hello and admiring the precious babe. In the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus, it is written that an Angel appeared before Shepherds, saying, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:8-11). This is the Christmas story of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which the prophets had foretold centuries earlier and was fulfilled that blessed night.
I encourage you to search for joy, which comes from the Holy Spirit. The joy lasts for as long we remain in His presence, by studying the Word, praying and witnessing about Him in our daily life. I have experienced such joy in my Christian walk for over a half-century. It is my testimony of faith. Likewise, I want to share the joy of walking outdoors as well. It is a worthy life in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!
