Roman road near Tarsus

In our times we travel around a lot. I don’t think we even recognize how much we travel. If you have had the unfortunate situation lately where you did not have a vehicle, you quickly learn how far things are. Simple things like going to the grocery store, getting to work, getting to church, etc.

In these times, even at gasoline here in the states over $3.50 a gallon, we don’t hesitate in traveling a few miles. I wanted to just bring to light a fact that we can easily overlook. When we read about people in the bible traveling around. Most of their travel was on foot. Meaning, walking. It is estimated that an average distance per day was approximately 15 miles. That would mean the 1.5 hour drive to Atlanta would take you about a week, and that is with no rest and lunch along the way. We must also realize that these trips did not include orthopedic socks, gel inserts or even the latest shoe designs for long distance walking. I don’t even think there is a market for long-distance walking shoes these days.

Then we can talk about a basic 15 mile walk. Maybe a walk-a-thon to raise some money for a charitable organization, how many times around the track? The times we read about of Paul in Acts, his common track was a Roman Road. These terms were given because they were created for the ability to travel to the city of Rome. We get sore feet from our shoes, we get in grown toe nails, our ankles swell. Our hips and knees creak, and we have relatively flat surfaces. As you travel today, think about the ground you cover. Not only in distance, but terrain. What would it be like to walk the trail you travel today? Look at the picture above and realize, that was the “improved” road at the time.