More From Arlene Timber-Henry

What a tumultuous two-plus years it has been since I first started wearing the fitness tracker I wrote about in today’s meditation! I was on a business trip at the time, in February of 2020. Little did I know it would be my last one for quite a while as the world slowly ground to a halt due to the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

When I returned home, it soon became clear that life as I knew it would never be the same. As the pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe, we realized it would only be a matter of time before it reached our Caribbean shores. And when it did, we were all at its mercy; needing to find direction for how to work from home, how to do school online, how to gather in our faith communities, and how to stay alive.

During this period, I did a lot of walking. And my faithful fitness tracker counted my steps, measured my heartbeat, and monitored my sleep at night. I look back at what I’ve just written, and I see scriptural parallels:

“Our steps are made firm by the LORD when he delights in our way.” — Psalm 37:23 (NRSVUE) 

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” — Psalm 73:26

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.” — Psalm 3:5

The Lord really did sustain me throughout, in all kinds of ways. God provided alternative sources of income when my in-person training opportunities dried up. I learned new skills which I could apply not only to my own work but to the new ways of connecting and engaging within our church and social groups, with long-lost relatives and newfound friends.

Best of all, without the ability, need, or desire to go anywhere, I gained an abundance of time which I used to read and to meditate, to be inspired, and to finally bring to life some of the ideas I had been dreaming about for decades.

I also did a lot of writing. I love being able to see God at work in the everyday realities of my life, like the frustration I felt while trying to get my fitness tracker to work. I continue to pray for God to use me in whatever way God sees fit. The Lord keeps surprising me, so I know that God is listening. And God is using simple objects like a wearable fitness device to remind me of the truths of scripture:

“When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble.” — Proverbs 4:12

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4

“ In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” — Isaiah 30:15

Not bad for a digital smartwatch with a removable wristband!

Lord, I thank you that you can use anything to get our attention and to help us find our way to you. Thank you for being our God and our guide forever. Amen.