A step in the right direction

Campaign urges people to walk for 20 minutes a day in May

Feature by Claire Brine

BEST foot forward! National Walking Month is fast approaching. From next Monday (1 May), individuals are encouraged to get outside and get moving, ready to reap the benefits that walking has to offer.

Behind the initiative is Living Streets, an organisation that aims to inspire a nation to go on foot for their everyday local journeys where possible. Encouraging people to walk for 20 minutes a day throughout the month, it points out that walking is one of the easiest ways for a person to improve their physical and mental health, explaining that it can reduce their risk of developing depression, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

For this year’s National Walking Month campaign, organisers have come up with 20 creative tips designed to help individuals who are feeling unmotivated. They include walking as part of a work meeting, taking photos during a stroll and, for parents, letting their children pick the route.

But what happens on the days when people don’t feel like walking – not just literally, but metaphorically? How do we keep taking the steps on our journey through life when it’s difficult, we’re tired, and all we want to do is quit?

When our road ahead is full of problems, trying to get past them may feel impossible. Perhaps we don’t know where to turn or we are doubtful that we have what it takes to get where we want to be. Maybe we want to take a new path entirely, but have no idea how to reroute our life.

Wherever we find ourselves today, God can help us get our life on track. We can learn from the Bible of his love for us, accept his forgiveness for our mistakes and seek his guidance as we try to become better people.

One Bible writer who relied on God for direction through life described God’s guidance as ‘a lamp for my feet, a light on my path’ (Psalm 119:105 New International Version).

As we step into a future that feels uncertain, we need never feel lost or alone. If we ask him, God is always willing to walk alongside us.