I'm Expecting!!!

I thought that title would get you to read this entry :-)  No, I'm not expecting a baby.  I am expecting God to do a miracle.  Let me explain.

Five years ago, I decided to start walking in my neighborhood for exercise.  The path that I walk takes me past all of the houses in our development twice as I go in a loop down the hill, through a little plaza, and back up again.  The end of the walk brings me back to the cul-de-sac in which we live.  Instead of ending at my house, I felt that God wanted me to walk around the cul-de-sac seven times every time that I walk.  In this way, I display the same faith that Joshua and the Israelites did when they trusted that marching around Jericho seven times on the seventh day would give them the city (Joshua 6:15). 

So for the five years that I have been walking, I have ended my walk with circling the cul-de-sac seven times.  Occasionally, I would pray for specific people in the neighborhood.  But always I would do the seven circles.  Not until recently have I thought about how God has been faithful to His promise to me.  He has given me relationship after relationship in my neighborhood.  Neighbors have entered my life without me even having to initiate.  As we get to know each other, I have seen their attention and even their lives turned to the Lord because of what they see in me.  One neighbor even remarked that he heard about me through his wife and regrets having lived in the neighborhood so long without getting to know me and my family.

The seven circles had become such a routine that I forgot what they were about.  I forgot to expect God to keep His promise.  No more.  Every day I will make it a routine to expect God to do a miracle!