Walking Around Our Community ... by Peter Caligiuri

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

Whenever it is not raining, I like to go for a morning walk. Since I just stay in our community, I try to choose a different route each day. Sometimes I meet dog walkers, bicyclists, or joggers, and we smile as we pass. Now, imagine that one of my fellow walkers decides to call 911 one morning because he hasn’t seen me and believes I am missing. The police race through our community and find me on another street. Red-faced with embarrassment, he apologizes to the officers and realizes that I simply do not always walk the same street that he does.

Of course, this story is fictitious, but many of us are just like him. On Sundays, we who are Christians get up, go to church, smile at complete strangers, and sing praise to God. But on Monday we gulp down our coffee and rush off to work, or some other activity, with barely a moment for prayer. Though we may not be involved in some terrible sin, by mid-day, our minds are far from God. We feel a bit guilty for a minute, then the phone rings and one “urgent” thing after another fills our day. That night, as we lay our head on the pillow, it occurs to us that we haven’t seen Jesus around our neighborhood all day!

In today’s verse, Micah tells us that God is never missing. Our problem is that God simply chose a different path than ours. He hasn’t left town, and in fact, He is just around the corner. All He asks is for us to make the choice to walk humbly by His side!

Peter and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 48 years and have two sons, six lively grandsons, and one wonderful granddaughter. I love to serve in nursing home ministry and write devotionals, poetry, and songs. We live near Tampa, Florida, where we are members of Generations Christian Church.