{"id":4558,"date":"2018-06-03T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-03T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4558"},"modified":"2018-05-16T18:44:56","modified_gmt":"2018-05-16T23:44:56","slug":"choose-to-have-beautiful-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4558","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Have Beautiful Feet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yet Another Year of Choices<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>When I was 16 I had a rude awakening. (Actually, I had many rude awakenings at 16, but I\u2019ll just focus on one in this article.) It happened at a sleepover. There we were \u2013 six giggly girls in pajamas all barefoot. Suddenly, I looked at one girl\u2019s foot and said, \u201cYour foot is shaped kind of funny, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She said, \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d To prove her point, we all formed a little circle and put one foot in the middle. To my chagrin, everyone\u2019s feet looked the same except mine. Mine was different. Not just different, but a little misshapen and sort of ugly. Fortunately, my friends did not ostracize me, but having funny-looking feet is a burden I carry even to this day.<\/p>\n

Now don\u2019t get me wrong. I walk just fine, have no foot problems, and have not been traumatized for this less than perfect feature. My feet are sturdy and serve me well. However, I\u2019m not the first one to say, \u201cLet\u2019s go get a pedicure!\u201d Who wants to draw attention to funny feet?<\/p>\n

Therefore, poetic, biblical metaphors about beautiful feet fascinate me. For example, Isaiah 52:7 (NLT) says, \u201cHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!\u201d Leave it to God to use a metaphor about feet and make it seem beautiful \u2013 especially during a time when no one could boast of pretty feet!<\/p>\n

In biblical times the custom was to go barefoot or wear sandals that could be easily slipped off and on. People walked to their destinations on dusty, unpaved country roads or through filthy streets, so feet took a lot of abuse. They were rough and calloused. When people visited or came home, they left their sandals at the door and washed their dirty feet before entering a house.<\/p>\n

When these people heard a statement about feet being beautiful, they would probably look down and say, \u201cHow can my feet be beautiful?\u201d But it\u2019s the message that makes the feet beautiful, not the feet themselves. Everyone loves good news. Good news gladdens the heart and inspires. And if ugly, dirty feet are bringing the good news \u2013 well, then they are considered beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Feet that carry good news remind me of missionaries who feel called to share the gospel in remote areas, sometimes placing their lives in danger. Some live in mud huts with no running water and face cultural mores we can only imagine. We take literacy and written communication for granted, but some missionaries struggle with languages no Berlitz program has heard of \u2013 some with no alphabet, no written word, and no Bible. Yet, the love of God can transcend the heaviest challenge.<\/p>\n

There are many places beautiful feet take the good news of peace and salvation in America. Christian volunteers do it all the time in prisons, hospitals, retirement homes, veteran\u2019s facilities, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and rehab centers.<\/p>\n

Sharing the gospel isn\u2019t just for Bible teachers, preachers, and those inclined to serve in the areas already mentioned. All who know Jesus can share Him on a personal level with friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members. We can share the good news of Jesus with all we meet. This doesn\u2019t mean we force salvation on unsuspecting acquaintances, but as we model Christian behavior, some may become curious. We can answer any questions people might have about Jesus and not shy away from sharing His good news of peace and salvation.<\/p>\n

Consider this… How beautiful are your feet? Mine are misshapen, border on being ugly, and look funny. \u00a0But even funny feet become beautiful when they share the good news of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

One final thought\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep your eyes on God and your feet on the ground!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yet Another Year of Choices By Barbara Dahlgren \u00a0When I was 16 I had a rude awakening. (Actually, I had many rude awakenings at 16, but I\u2019ll just focus on one in this article.) It happened at a sleepover. There … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4558\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}