As we wrap up this short series on abiding, I want to shift gears a little. Think for a second about what we’ve been talking about: “having a quiet time.” While those moments can be valuable, that phrase carries an inherent tone of static activity with a clear beginning and end.

Jesus’ mode of discipleship was ambulatory. He was always on the move but never rushed. Walking wasn’t just his preferred manner of travel; it was his primary method of spiritual formation. I contend that Jesus invites us to go for a walk with him every day. Maybe literally but definitely figuratively.

I love how Eugene Peterson translates Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30, “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

Our relationship with Jesus is a life-long pilgrimage. The trouble is that our culture promotes tourism, not pilgrimage.

A tourist’s goal is to fulfill as many desires as possible; consuming encounters and places, covering ground, seeing sights, and checking things off their list. To them, entertainment, adventure, and even spiritual experiences are ends in themselves. A tourist’s eyes flash and dart but only to catch a glimpse of what’s next…which blinds their vision and deafens their ears to who’s right here and what God’s saying.

Jesus invites us to move through the world with him and like him, paying attention to the presence of God in our midst. Unlike the tourist, a pilgrim sees each journey, every appointment, and whatever assignment they have as part of the greater quest toward Christlikeness. So, quit having a quiet time and take a walk.

Two weeks ago, I suggested that abiding begins by accessing God’s presence through gratitude. In my last post, I offered steps to crafting a prayer prompt so that you can have an ongoing conversation with Him. Today, I want to encourage you to start collecting artifacts on your walks with Jesus. Pilgrims pick up physical and tangible reminders of divine encounters that happen on their journey.

• -The rock on my office windowsill reminds me of when God met me at a prayer retreat.
• -There is an acorn on my bookshelf that marks a moment when God assured me that over time something small and seemingly insignificant can become tall, strong, and substantial.
• -The tattoo on my left arm of Andrei Rublev’s Trinity. It is the replica of a 500-year-old Eastern Orthodox icon. The Father, Son, and Spirit all sitting at a table making room and inviting us to join Him.
• -I’ve kept a walking stick for years that accompanied me on a backpacking trip. For six days I leaned on it as God joined me in a canyon in the southwest, confirming and reconfirming His calling on me.

Artifacts are not only visible reminders of God’s work in your life. They often create opportunities to share those experiences with others.

You know by now that I don’t want you to quit having a quiet time. But hopefully you have also picked up that I don’t want you to just settle for one either.