Barefoot 2

Summer is coming to a close and our feet have been free from boundaries. Ever since the jump of the thermometer I have painted my toenails and savored the grass and even gravel under my feet. Now with autumn on the way, I look at those winter shoes and know that they will feel tight.

It has been 4 years since my last post about being barefoot. It is indeed a physical manifestation of a spiritual change...when you have put your mind toward seeking God, He removes the boundaries of your "walk". Like Moses, the sandals are off because we are on Holy Ground.

Have you ever noticed when you injure your foot (usually a toe or two) that your walk is immediately affected? People notice and will ask, "What did you do?" If you injure a finger or bonk your head, it's not immediately visible. But your feet...they are where the world touches your life and it shows if something is going on.

If you have ever caught your pinky toe on a chair, you know what I mean. That little appendage rules the whole body and sets you into writhing and spouting unintelligible language. Time stops for that tiny ruler on your foot and all means of placating it are put into action: ice, elevation and aspirin. The pinky toe is a master at stopping people in their tracks. Sometimes it is best to keep moving, the pain subsides a little more quickly that way. Focusing on the pain sometimes magnifies it.

Once I stepped on a wasp barefoot. Let me tell you, they are sneaky little devils hovering in the grass. When you find one with the soft arch of your foot, it's like stepping on an electrical wire. The jolt to your system is immediate and you look for that sizzling copper wire jutting from the ground, only to see a black wasp zipping away into the sky. Unlike honeybees, wasps will live to sting another day. Even a dead wasp can sting you. Some people find this life threatening and if they don't receive immediate medication, they can suffer anaphylactic shock and die.

So how's your walk lately? Have you frolicked in the sun barefoot and boundary free, enjoying the time you've set aside for building your spiritual walk? Or have you been sidelined with an injury that seemed to come from nowhere? Did that injury come from a clumsy move that splayed your life into a painful turn? Are you too focused on the pain? With Christ you will get through it. The trick is to keep moving forward with Him.

Beware of the spiritual wasps in life. It's not the trips and falls that are dangerous to your walk. The Bible talks about the sting of sin. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) Much like a wasp, sin has a sting that can lead to death. And hanging on to that sin, it will only continue to sting and put your life in danger.

Time to let go what's bugging you dear reader. Let's walk in that pasture with our Shepherd and beware of the sting that waits in the cool grass. I have people to hold me accountable to my sins...do you? Maybe it's time. Summer is ending and a new season is arriving.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 (NASB)