The Walker

There is a little boy who goes to my kids’ school that I can't wait to see every day. He is a walker, which simply means that he walks down the street to get to school instead of riding a bus. I would guess he is in kindergarten, first grade at the most, and he is a TRIP.

I can hear him singing at the top of his lungs as he walks, and some days I see him having full conversations with an imaginary companion. He never seems concerned if he is late for school, he just strolls along enjoying the sights. He is also easily distracted, I have watched him sit right down on the sidewalk to open his lunchbox, seeming to inspect its contents long before lunch time. Just last week, as a teacher stood outside before the bell rang urging him to hurry, it was if he hadn’t a care in the world and continued at his leisurely pace.

I really like this kid. I don’t know his name, but there is something attractive about his refusal to comply. Every time I see him, I am reminded of all the social rules and cultural norms that I submit to. Some are just silly, some work against my nature, yet I would rather offend myself than others.

Sometimes I think people assume there is a Christian template – especially Christian people. We believe that following a set of rules or guidelines for living are what define the Christian life, when really CHRIST defines the Christian life. You know – the Guy who opened a young boy’s lunch box and fed 5,000 people with its contents.

Jesus often went against the grain of His culture – both doing and saying the unexpected and unpopular. How amusing is it that the subculture that claims His name requires more conformity than most others?