happy half-a-90th birthday to my feet!

Today's Readings: Ps 85,87, Isaiah 52:7-12, Hebrews 2:5-10

Today I am exactly one-half of ninety years old. If you asked me twenty years ago what my favorite physical attributes were I would have answered; my long flowing surfer sun-bleached hair, my eyes that turned at certain times, my lats I grew from swinging  a hammer all day, and my rock-hard stomach from paddling for waves. 

Today things are different. These are no longer my favorite physical attributes and it is not because my hair is darker, short and non-existent on top. Nor is it because my eyes use one pair of glasses for distance and one pair for reading. It's not even because I no longer stare at my six-pack because, well, it is no longer there and my stomach is rounder and squishy.

But even if I still had these things they would pale in comparison to my feet. Yep, my feet.  My freckled-hairy toed-troll feet. They are not your trophy-husband-beef-cake-foot-model-looking-critters to be sure. Pretty funny looking and definitely not show stopping. How can this be? Simple. God loves my feet. He made them beautiful (read Hebrews) Whatever He loves, I love too.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,“Your God reigns! 

For most of my life I used my feet to run away from God. Now, by His work and grace, they are waking around the world telling everyone of His love and mercy. He changed my heart and called me to himself (see today's reading on John). Seems like the old song I sang as a kid was wrong; the foot-bone is not connected to the leg-bone. It is connected to the heart-bone.

This past year my love for Him had my feet walk in African dirt, up inner-city stairs, across senior center floors, into coffee shops, across streets to neighbors' houses, next to cult-members spreading misinformation about Jesus, down hospital hallways to the sick and dying and  next to Muslims and people who sacrifice animals. They carried me to children wearing charms from witchdoctors and kids in housing projects, kids in the suburbs and kids in daycare.  They walked up to enginers for Mercedes, politicians, electricians, alcholics, drug addicts and people in recovery. They even had me walk in front of people in church on Sunday all to proclaim good news, peace, good tidings, salvation and that our God reigns! All because God gave me new feet to match my new heart. And my feet go where God wants to proclaim His message of  love and mercy.

So, happy half-of-ninety birthday to my feet. By His will and grace, He shall give them the later half of my 90 years. They  have miles to go before they sleep, and many more places to show off what God did to them. 

Where are your feet taking you? Does God love your feet? Do you?