Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Take Off My Shoes?!?




Reflection:

Most people have to be pretty comfortable with you to take their shoes off.

I don’t know what it is – maybe we’re all afraid that we have ugly feet…maybe it’s a feeling of nakedness on some level…but whatever it is, most folks don’t like taking their shoes off around other people.

Unless, that is, you are truly feeling at home.
For me, the places that I feel comfortable removing my shoes are also the places that I feel most comfortable, period. They are the places where I know I’m loved and accepted for who I am, warts and all (and no, I don’t have warts on my feet!)

I can take my shoes off at home.
I can take my shoes off at my parents’ house.
I can take my shoes off at my inlaws’ house.
These are the places where I know I can be myself.

As Moses approaches the very presence of God in the passage linked above, God tells him to remove his shoes, because the ground he is standing on is holy. On one level, this is to show respect to the divine. But on another level, it is an intimate moment. Moses is himself before God. No shoes. No barriers. No pretentions.

This week, it is my hope that you know that the ground you walk is holy ground, because Jesus walks every step with you. Maybe, knowing that presence of unbounded love in your life, you’ll be able to remove your shoes!

Prayer: God of peace, open our eyes to your presence in our daily lives, that we might know your all-encompassing love. Amen.

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