barefoot

my friend bonnie has given me a book entitled "the gospel according to job" by mike mason. from a chapter entitled "uselessness" the author writes: "how interesting it is that when the Lord appeared to Moses, and later to Joshua, to each of them He said the same thing: 'take off your sandals, for the place where your are standing is holy ground' (Ex. 3:5, Josh. 5:15). why should you take off your shoes in the Lord's presence? because without shoes you are not going anywhere. you might try to walk, but you will not get very far, especially in the hot sand and sharp rocks of the wilderness. taking off one's shoes may not be quite as drastic as cutting off one's feet, but it amounts to the same thing. barefootedness means immobilization and so it is a symbol of submission. being immobile (in other words, having nothing better to do) is a prerequisite for worship, and worship is the prerequisite for all activity, all service."

this paragraph was shared by bonnie to me just a few days before my breast cancer diagnosis. i will admit, when she read it to me, my eyes swelled up with tears. i don't want to be made immobile but yet, i do desire to submit to Him. i love "my" life, i want to serve my Lord-being immobile does not fit into "my" plan. but through it all, i know that i am standing before Him, my King on holy ground. if He asks me to remove my shoes, off they go, i trust Him, i love Him and i will worship Him standing still with barefeet.