Yesterday I was out on a training walk ready for my crazy 200 mile coast-to-coast outing in July.  My walking companion is busily walking 5 miles three times a week to build her stamina for distance; I am trying to get out to walk up steep bits and in the heat of the day as, whilst I can walk the distances, these are my weaknesses.

For me, walking and thinking tend to go together - it's amazing how many engineering conumdrums or theological queries I've managed to unscramble whilst walking miles and miles.  Perhaps I should have been a peregrinato?

Anyway, as I pounded the miles across the fields, and literally forced my way through a field where the only signs of the footpath were the way marks at either end, my thoughts inevitably turned to how we use the 'journey' metaphor to talk about faith - and how a 'training' walk has no real place in that metaphor.  My thoughts rambled (how appropriate!) around the theme and an old hymn, rarely sung nowadays, came to mind (and written out below as prose as the formatting does wierd things otherwise!).

Father, hear the prayer we offer: not for ease that prayer shall be, but for strength that we may ever live our lives courageously.

Not forever in green pastures do we ask our way to be; but the steep and rugged pathways may we tread rejoicingly.

Not for ever by still waters, would we idly rest and stay, but would smite the living fountains from the rocks along our way.

Be our strength in hours of weakness, in our wanderings be our guide; through endeavour, failure, danger, Father be there at our side. 

 

This hymn seems a bit more honest and tentative than some contemporary stuff; it accepts that life can be tough and that you can end up with scratches and stings when you are walking in the way you believe you should go.  It recognises that we get things wrong - or at least that our best efforts sometimes fail - but still wants to carry on with God's help.

I might contact the local council about the state of the footpath, I will certainly have to keep up the midday hikes to get acclimatised to them, but at least it got my brain cells whirring into action!