Last Saturday my family and I got up on a cold morning at the early hour of 6am to go participate in the Williams Walk. The walk was a 2K to help raise money for children with brain tumors.

Our inspiration for going on this walk was a little girl named Maddy. Maddy was diagnosed with cancer when she was four months old. Over the next several months she and her parents were in and out of the hospital repeatedly, but ultimately the doctors couldn’t kill the cancer and Maddy entered into heaven on August 21st, 2004 when she was 13 months old. Sitting through Maddy’s funeral is one of the most emotionally tough things I have ever experienced, but interestingly it was a sadness laced with hope. I listened to Maddy’s dad with amazement as he stood behind the podium and talked about all the wonderful things that Maddy did and left behind. He talked about the joy that she always had and how she would always smile and play. But, the thing that stuck in my mind was when he talked about how she loved to walk with him. He would carry her through the hospital and she would point, directing him where to go. She loved to do that. He said that they would often end up on the other side of the hospital, but Maddy didn’t care and would just enjoy the walk and smile at the people she saw.

If I had to guess I would say that Maddy had purpose in those walks, to encourage her parents giving them warm memories, and to smile at all the strangers that didn’t know her but should have. So, with this little girl in mind, my family and I proudly walked on the Maddy Marchers team at the Williams Walk. We walked to raise money. We walked to support Maddy’s family. We walked to honor Maddy’s memory. We walked with purpose.

This makes me think of how Christians should walk through this world and through their lives.

As Christians we must walk: in the newness of life (Rom 6:4), not in flesh but in spirit (Rom 8:4), by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), by the Spirit (Gal 5:25), in good works (Eph 2:10), in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph 4:1), in love (Eph 5:2), as children of light (Eph 5:8), in wisdom (Eph 5:15), in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col 1:10, 1 Thes 2:12), in Christ (Col 2:6), in light (1 Jn 1:7), in the way of Jesus (1 Jn 2:6), according to His commandments (2 Jn 1:6), and in truth (3 Jn 1:3-4).

I pray as you walk through this spiritual and physical life that you will walk with purpose rather than meandering around hoping to stumble into God’s plan for you.