REWIND: My Faith and My Feet

The holiday season is solidly in effect and people of various faith movements are celebrating. Whether it's Christmas, Chanukah or other holidays, this is a time of reflection and celebration. I thought it would be fitting during this time to share something that I've thusfar kept under wraps: my faith.

Since this blog is about bare feet, I want to share how my faith and belief in God and His son Jesus Christ has affected my decision to be a barefooter. I'm not trying to actively recruit or evangelize for Christianity. I've never been a fan of shoving religion down others' throats, especially when the context in which they come to me isn't related to religion. If you want to engage in a stirring religious debate, that's not what I'm here for today.

I've written in this space previously that on natural ground coverings (grass, flowers, etc.), I prefer to only go barefooted. It's a matter of respect for the earth, but I also see it as a respect for God's creation. Likewise, I have come to believe that I can be more connected to the earth and nature by touching it directly. Because God created all living things, this is also a way to further connect with Him.

In a different light, going barefooted is generally a sign of my respect for the body God gave me. You might have noticed in the heading of this blog that I write "Enjoy the feet that the good Lord gave you!" By distorting and restricting my feet in shoes, I am making the decision to restrict that which God gave me. He designed my feet a certain way, however they aren't allowed to function in that way while wearing most shoes. This, I believe, is an affront to the Lord.

As a parent, I enjoy seeing my children enjoy playing. I love seeing my two-year old daughter stretch, twist and twirl her body when she's dancing. In much the same way, I'd bet that God takes pleasure in seeing His creation live up to its full potential. He probably thinks it's really cool when we allow our feet to sense everything on which they tread, breathe in the open air and flex in all the many ways that the 52 bones in them allow.

But there are those who would disagree with me. I often hear the rebuttal, "Even Jesus wore sandals," when I mention that I go barefooted into church.

While that's supposed to be a lighthearted criticism of barefooting, I don't believe it's well thought out. You have to remember the times in which Jesus lived. There weren't a lot of grassy lawns in the places He traveled. The roads were very rocky and dirty. Modern sewer systems consisted of trenches along the side of the roadways. People didn't bathe or shower daily like we usually do. It was VERY filthy. That's part of the reason that the story of Jesus washing His disciples' feet was so significant. Their feet were filthy. The fact that He was willing to humble himself in order to make their feet clean meant a lot. The times we live in, in comparison, are much cleaner and more sanitary.

I actually don't have a problem going to church barefooted and I think that God would welcome it. After all, it's scriptural! In Exodus 3:5 and Acts 7:33, Moses had just seen the burning bush. It appeared to be on fire with the Holy Spirit yet it was not consumed. God told Moses to take off his footwear because Moses was on holy ground. The Lord wanted Moses to connect with the earth of Mount Sinai, a holy place.

While we don't all have holy mountains nearby nowadays, we do have our churches and synagogues. We think of them as holy places where we can worship God and learn about Him. As a believer and a barefooter, I think going barefooted into church is completely appropriate. That is where God is, and standing or kneeling before Him with bare feet is a sign of respect for my body and His scripture.

All that said, there will always be some who disagree with me and feel it's disrespectful to go barefooted in church. They say it goes against the idea of wearing your "Sunday best" and offends other parishioners. For the reasons mentioned above I don't share those feelings and I honestly am not concerned about offending other parishioners. I'm there to worship the Lord, not please everyone else. Being concerned about such things is tantamount to being concerned what other customers in Walmart feel about me shopping barefooted. That's NOT what we're there for! If my fellow worshipers are distracted by my feet then they have things to work out with the Lord.

How I worship and am blessed by God is about the spirit with which I come to the Lord instead of the clothing on my body. He will accept, bless and forgive me no matter what. God doesn't care what I wear to church, and He especially doesn't care if I wear shoes. That is why I can't be judgmental of someone who comes in tattered clothing and a less than fresh smell. They are there because their heart has brought them there and God will bless them for that.

I don't intend to stop going barefooted at church anytime soon. I have been blessed, so far, that no one has taken enough offense to approach me. I hope that my friends in Christ will always recognize the spirit with which I come before the Lord: Ready to worship Him and receive His spirit.

Happy Holidays! And really: Enjoy the feet that the good Lord gave you!

I welcome your comments below.

Photo of Jesus washing feet from Barry Dean 4 Christ
Photo of homeless man from New-Think

NOTE: All this week I have been "rewinding" this blog to repost some of my earlier entries that many readers may have missed. This is the final look back for a little while. Much of this information holds true even today and I hope you enjoyed it. This post was originally published on December 16, 2009. The content above was NOT edited from its original entry (though that picture of me leaning against the tree kind of bugs me), so please ignore any typos or less than perfect grammar as I got my writing feet underneath me. What do you think of this post? Please leave your comments below.