Steps and Songs

Yesterday morning arrived as a crisp, cool, clear fall day in Kansas City ... the perfect day to spend a few hours stepping out for a walk along a creek and through the Plaza to support diabetes research. I've never participated in a "cause" walk before, and certainly not one that affects me in such a personal way. Those of you who read along with me on my life journey in words in this blog know that I've been anticipating and planning and fundraising for this walk for a couple of months ... the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes.

I didn't tell my teammates, but I was a bit overwhelmed for some reason as we approached the registration table. As the woman behind the table took the forms from my hand and began asking me questions, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I answered. This is a big deal, I thought, as the older lady wrote down the amount of money our team had raised. This is a really big deal ... all of these people are here because they love someone who has diabetes or they have it themselves. The money that people donated is a big deal ... what if the money raised on this walk is part of the money that finds a cure for this nasty beast of a disease? My friends who took time out of their weekend to brave the cool temps and come walk with me is a big deal ... they are here because they care about me. The millions of people whose lives have been forever altered by diabetes is a big deal ... a really big deal, indeed. And as the woman handed me the complimentary t-shirts for our team, a lump formed in my throat to accompany the one in my gut.

After visiting the sponsor tents and collecting lots of free stuff, we listened to a couple of people talk about diabetes and then the Walk began. Counting my friend Aimee's adorable dog and Shasty's darling baby girl in her stroller, there were 12 of us on our team. As I watched the hundreds of people begin to walk, I couldn't help but marvel again at the enormity of the event. People wearing red caps dotted the crowd ... they're called Red Striders, the hats denote that the person has diabetes. And as the group wound its way along the path next to the creek, I knew that I was blessed to be able to count the ones who walked with me as my friends ... old, young and furry ... friends who care enough about me to walk by my side on so much more than the walk yesterday.

Like He so often does, God wanted to make sure this evening that I understood the lesson He impressed upon me yesterday ... oh, wait ... I haven't told you the lesson yet, have I? Walking back to my car after the event was finished, I recognized the great diversity of the large group of walkers. Old, young, middle-aged, canine, rich, poor, male, female, healthy, sick ... diverse in so many ways and yet brought together for one common purpose, to show support for those who live every day with diabetes. Whatever differences that existed between all those people yesterday were unimportant as they united, even if only for a few hours ... as they united to walk together, to stand together, to encourage together.

The church I attend hosted a free concert tonight by a band I had never heard of until the church began promoting tonight's event. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I've struggled with going to church ... I do well to go to the main service on Sunday mornings, much less attend any extracurricular activities. A couple of weekends ago when I spoke at a women's retreat at Hidden Haven Christian Camp, I talked about how God has used children in a big way in my life over the last couple of years, and for reasons that I don't understand, neither He nor those kids have given up on me. Even after I told one of my young friends yesterday no when she asked if I was coming to the concert tonight, she called me this afternoon and asked me again. And then she texted me. And texted me again. And I went to the concert.

The band is called Cloverton, and like I said, I had never heard of them or listened to any of their music. I expected them to be loud ... and they were. I expected them to be young ... and they are. I expected them to have smoke and flashing lights ... and they did. I did not, however, expect their hearts for the Lord to pour out of them from the minute they walked onto the stage. I didn't expect the lyrics of their songs to speak to my soul and to the place I am in life. I didn't expect God to shout His lesson from yesterday to me this evening as I sat next to my young friend and listened to the music. I watched the diverse crowd ... young and old, sick and well, rich and poor, male and female ... I watched the crowd as they worshipped ... yep, those people worshipped together as the band played. Whatever differences that existed between the folks in the church tonight were unimportant as they united, even if only for a couple of hours ... as they were drawn together for one common purpose ... worship. Teens danced, adults raised their hands, little kids clapped ... they all worshipped their Lord as the band played on.

See, here's the thing ... it shouldn't take a walk or a concert to bring us together, to cause us to unite, to make us worship. God wants us to love Him and love another. That's the lesson He has not only for me, but for all of us ... God wants us to walk and worship together. Instead of looking at what makes us different from one another, He wants us to look at Him. He wants us to walk and worship together, friends ... to put our differences aside and step and sing together.