Barefoot Before God    

            “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Ex 3:5b)

A few years ago, whilst researching into some amusing activities to do on a family holiday, we stumbled across a rather unique museum to visit. Who would have thought that a whole museum dedicated to shoes even existed! After our shoe museum expedition, I realized that the human fascination with fancy footwear really is so varied and almost limitless.

Accessorizing aside, shoes form an integral part of our daily lives. When we go about our daily routine, we always remember to put on our shoes before leaving the house. Without putting on our shoes to go outside, we really would not get very far from our front door! Shoes, at the fundamental level, act as a form of protection for our feet, from dirt, from the cold, or from objects that can hurt.

When Moses was called by God from the burning bush (Ex 3:4), before he was even allowed to draw closer to the presence of God, God’s first instruction to Moses was to take off his sandals. For the place where he stood was sanctified ground. Moses had to stand before God with bare feet.

Whatever our views about shoes are, spiritually, what God wants for us is to stand before Him without anything on our feet at all.

What does this exactly mean for us? Our heart and mind are the directors of wherever we end up. Therefore, “ponder the path of your feet . . . Remove your foot from evil.” (Prov 4:26-27). When we take off our shoes before Him, we are casting aside our own wants and desires. By taking off our shoes before God, we cast away our own means of self-protection and we will not be able to wander away from Him.

So we all need to keep track of ourselves constantly. We need to evaluate our own faith continuously: are we standing firmly on the holy ground of our divine God; or have we ourselves unwittingly veered away onto a path of our own making?

As we put on our shoes to the leave the house each day, let it be a reminder for us to take off our shoes before our holy Lord at all times.

 

            Question for Reflection:

Have you taken your shoes off before God?