My Heavenly Walking App

It helped her lose a ton of weight, and it keeps me sane—walking, that is. 

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My sister Tina and I share a love of this exercise. And though we live 45 miles apart and seldom walk together, we keep each other posted on our commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Even though she’s my little sister, Tina’s much more technically saavy than I am. She recently shared a wonderful new app called RunKeeper. This little gem does all kinds of cool things. 

Using the GPS on my phone, it tracks the route I walk and gives me a map diagram when I’m finished. It logs my mileage, duration, pace, and speed. It even tells me the number of calories I burn. (Sadly, this number is never as high as I think it should be for the effort I’ve expended.) 

As I walk, the app’s pleasant female voice updates me on my progress. “At 15 minutes, you’ve walked 1.0 miles at an average speed of 4.1 miles per hour.” The first time I used it, a curious thing happened. As this invisible trainer assessed my performance, I noticed that when I was tempted to slow down on hills, I pushed harder instead. When I considered eliminating the extra loop around the cul de sac because I was getting tired, I walked it anyway. I even walked an extra block because I was only a few tenths of a mile away from logging another full mile. 

Sometimes I get lazy regarding physical exercise, but knowing that someone, even an invisible trainer, is “watching” keeps me accountable. And that’s a good thing. 

Similarly, I’m challenged by the fact that Someone is watching my spiritual progress, too. And one day I will give an account for how I’ve conducted myself. Second Corinthians 5:10 reminds me of this: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 

Thankfully, because I’ve trusted Christ for my salvation, God won’t hold me accountable for my sins. Christ paid for them on the cross. He will, however, require an accounting for how I’ve lived my life after my conversion. Instead of for punishment, this accounting will be for the purpose of reward. I do so want the privilege of laying any rewards I’ve earned at the feet of my beloved Savior. 

And like my invisible personal trainer, I have a whole host of people cheering me on as I run my Christian race. Hebrews 12 tells me this. When I’m tempted to leave the path God’s marked out for me, their presence keeps me on track. When I grow weary and want to quit, their example inspires me to press on. When I struggle with the lure of the world, the flesh, and the devil, their prayers give me strength. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). 

And better than any app in cyberspace, I have the example of Christ to cheer, guide, and empower me. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). 

I want to hear him say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest. 

Will you join me on the journey? Let’s press on in faith together. 


 If you enjoyed this post, you might like All Noble Things are Difficult. 

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