Walk On By

Do you remember the old hit by The Police, a tribute to stalking called Every Step You Take? My entry tonight is about how we take those steps. It's from January 16, 2011.

I saw something fascinating yesterday on MSN.com, a very short piece from the Discovery Channel. The clip revolved around a study done on male and female subjects and how they walked. The researchers had the participants on laboratory treadmills and were filming them. One set of walkers was told they were being observed and their gaits would be studied for their stride or something along that line. The other group was led to believe that their walk would be analyzed and rated for attractiveness to the opposite gender. Guess what happened? Most of us could have correctly predicted the difference in the study groups. The first walked normally but in the second, the men used their shoulders to affect more of a swagger and the ladies had a much more of a pronounced sway in their hips. It boils down to this: knowing we are being observed has a direct bearing on every step we take.

Do I think I am conscious of the presence of the opposite gender? Who isn't? Earlier in the season, my basketball team played in a tournament at another school. One of the referees paid very careful attention to my assistant coach, Katy, who is extremely attractive. He made it a point to stroll by our bench during timeouts and linger nearby at halftime. I doubt if he even knew I was in the gym so I told Katy to load up on the lip gloss- we needed every break we could get. In the New Testament, the term walk is more often used to convey the image of how we live our lives as sacrifices for the Lord. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus referred to His believers as salt/light and talked about our assignment to be a city on a hill, you know, that metropolis that cannot be hidden. It is imperative that we as disciples remain aware of how we are walking with God every moment we're in the public eye. My job as a Christian school teacher and coach leaves no wiggle room for non-Christlike behavior. Many of my shirts/jackets/gym bags/briefcases carry the name of our school which by design proclaims my allegiance to the Almighty. Even the parking permit hanging from my rearview mirror is a testimony to my place of employment which bears the name Christian. I should walk the same no matter who is watching because believe me, somebody is. I have one-hundred-twenty eyewitnesses in my classroom for thirty-six weeks a year..... and they see everything.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk."
Jacqueline Schiff

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com