Do you like to shop for shoes? In my opinion, you either love it or hate it! I wouldn’t say I have a shoe addiction; however, I do like my Toms. Yes, I do. My little 2-year-old granddaughter looked in my closet the other day and expressed her deep appreciation for my shoes by sweetly saying, “Oh, so Bootiful!” It warmed my heart and I had to agree. Seeing all the colorful little flats lined up in a row, ready to go on my feet to match my outfit for the day, somehow brings a sort of comfort to my soul (pun intended). I know, this is a totally carnal comfort. But we all have those types of comforts, right?
Not that you really want to hear about my feet, but that's what my story is about. And to tell it, we need to jump back to two weeks ago. Just to let you know, I’ve had a few injuries to my foot in the past. Although the injuries happened 15 years ago, it’s never been the same and I couldn’t seem to find a doctor who would, or could, address my foot issues with me. So, I let it go until recently when I decided it’s time to go to an orthopedic surgeon. Surely, I hoped, he will do something radical, and I will have no more pain, and I’ll get back to having beautiful feet again, and, of course, I’ll be able to wear my “bootiful” shoes without any issues!
To my surprise, I got an appointment quickly. The staff took very good care of me….taking x-rays, asking all the right questions, having empathy, etc. And then, in comes the “real doctor.” The one who I hoped would examine me and tell me I need surgery to “fix” my foot and life will go on. Can I tell you it didn’t quite happen as I thought it would? He was very nice and he really did know what he was doing. But when he started to ask me about what foot stretches I do and what shoes I wear, I didn’t have very good answers to give. He proceeded to tell me I have severe “Arthur” (aka arthritis) in my right foot and the left one was catching up. Of course, I had my sunflower yellow Toms on that day. He took one look at them, picked one up, folded it in half and said, “Okay, you cannot wear these shoes anymore.” My defenses went up right away as I told him that I didn’t wear them on long walks. But that wasn’t good enough. He went on, “At your age, if you don’t take care of your feet by wearing the right shoes and doing the stretches, you will not be doing much walking in the future.” Well, I didn’t really expect this! Afterall, can’t a girl wear the shoes she looks and feels good in?! The doctor proceeded to give me the name of the shoes I should purchase and the stretches I should begin doing. Then, he kindly looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, you can still be stylish!” (At that moment, I’m not sure his words were as reassuring as he might have hoped.)
As I said, I know you probably didn’t really want to read a story about feet today, especially about someone else’s feet. And I understand that this isn’t the worst thing in the world to happen to someone! But as I walked out of his office, I couldn’t help but feel almost disappointed that I wasn’t going to have surgery right away. (There is still a chance I may need it, but there are steps I must go through so I don’t unnecessarily suffer through a very long recovery.) So as I got in my car and started the 40-minute drive home, I had some time to think over this weird sense of “disappointment.” I grabbed a smoothie from McD’s and as I was sipping the sweetness of strawberry and bananas, Holy Spirit decided He was going to teach me a little lesson from my doctor’s appointment.
I started thinking and feeling somewhat sorry for myself because of my feet, my ugly feet. (Oh, did I mention I have a lump and a hammer toe?) Now, I wasn’t going to be able to wear my pretty shoes and I’d have to get “ugly” shoes to match my “ugly” feet. All I could think of was how this was going to change the look of my closet floor, and where was I going to get the shoes, and what would they look like, and how expensive would they be, and how many would I be able to afford, and so on and so on. Ugh. Sigh. Sip on my frozen sugar.
Then it hit me! Or should I say, Holy Spirit hit me and bopped me over the head and over the heart!
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! (Isaiah 52:7)
This scripture from Isaiah is a proclamation of the deliverance for Jerusalem. The prophet was giving a message of hope to God’s people who have been, and will be, in captivity. They needed to hear some good news, and then, the Israelites could rejoice and know the God of the heavens and the earth reigns!
As we all know, there was no internet, TV, or cell service to bring this news to people. Instead, there were messengers who climbed mountains and crossed valleys and waters to bring news to all who needed to hear what was going on, especially to hear the Word of the Lord. I imagine their feet got pretty worn out. (I’m sure orthotics were not yet a thing!) These messengers would swiftly go to tell the message so the people would have hope! One hundred years later, the prophet Nahum used the same type of message to proclaim peace was coming!
“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed” (Nahum 1:15)
Almost 1000 years later, our buddy, the apostle Paul, had a similar message of hope for the New Testament Christians. Paul had a longing in his heart to see the people of Israel saved. After his encounter with Jesus, he wanted people to understand that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, both Jews and Gentiles alike. In chapter ten of Romans, Paul writes that salvation is for everyone. Jesus took the place of the law and fulfilled it by being crucified on the cross and rising again so that we may have life forever. Paul wanted this message to go out to everyone in a big way. His message was that everyone who calls on His name will be saved from death, not physical death but spiritual death! When I try to envision Paul writing this, I bet the pen in his hand couldn’t write fast enough because his passion was so great! He had the heart of God - to want everyone saved! Then, in verse 17, Paul poses a few questions.
But how can they call on him (Jesus) to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? (vs 14,15)
I think these are some big questions and Paul answers them with Old Testament prophecy. That is why the scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
There was my answer as well! The answer to my “wrong thinking” about my feet, like my selfish thought patterns about how many shoes I was going to have to give up, and my concerns over how "bootiful" my new orthopedic shoes were going to be, and my complaining attitude about how ugly my feet had become. No! Not today, I thought! My feet are beautiful! Beautiful because I’m called to be a messenger of good news! The best news!
We want people to know about Jesus, but they won’t know unless we tell them. God needs our feet because He wants us to be messengers of the Good News. He doesn’t require certain shoes, or a certain education, or a certain amount of resources. Instead, He wants our hearts. He wants our willingness to give, to pray, to proclaim, and to send!
Will everyone accept and believe? Unfortunately, no. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we have been asked to do.
The orthopedic doctor asked me to get different shoes and do stretches for a couple months. He let me know I may have to wear a cast for a while. If I don’t listen to what he says, there is no hope of my feet feeling better. Similarly, if we do not give, pray, go, and send, there is no hope for others who have not heard the Good News.
Ask Holy Spirit to give you a generous heart and beautiful feet so you can deliver the Good News of peace and salvation, restoration and hope!
My closet may no longer host an array of “bootiful” Toms shoes; they may be replaced with shoes that aren’t so cute. And my feet may not require any surgery (at least for a while). But I know my heart has had a little surgery done on it, because my foot concerns have been replaced with the desire to please my Savior.
