Today I want to talk about feet.
The funny thing about feet is that we customarily take them for granted until they do not work correctly anymore. And, I had my first inkling of this not working correctly anymore part last April.
Today I am in that window of time when I can look back on those painful weeks last April and laugh. But there was nothing funny about those painful weeks when I was just about out of commission from my very first attack of gout in my foot…my right one.
I look back and laugh because I was handed a vivid reminder that I am now a man of a certain age; and, things like gout just pop up out of left field. This was what my doctor said anyway.
He said it during my first visit for help and then he said it again during my second visit when I was not getting better because the stuff he gave me the first time wasn’t even touching the problem.
The pain was almost unbearable. I couldn’t even wear shoes during our second worship service on Easter Sunday.
My foot hurt so badly that I could not stand having a sheet to touch it while in bed at night. Walking was painful. Throbbing pain would wake me up at night to remind me that I needed more medication.
And, I have not even gotten to the best part. My witchdoctor down in Key West says I am now a gout guy. Yee haw! This means that once a person gets it, they will most likely continue to be bothered by it for the rest their life.
But today… I can look back on those painful weeks last April and laugh. I can laugh because the pain is gone and I can laugh because it seems humorous the things humans ignore right up until they do not work so well anymore…like feet!
I used to take my feet for granted because as a youth I ran all the time and never had any problems. I ran everywhere. My motto was: Why walk when you can run!
I ran track and cross-country in high school. I ran road races with all the Ks (5K, 10K, 25K, etc.) right up until I got into the ministry and had no time left to train anymore.
My feet have taken me everywhere. I’ve hiked mountain trails and salt marshes. And, feet are a really big help in swimming and scuba diving.
Jesus had feet. Jesus had feet just like you and me.
Have you ever seen one of those old paintings depicting Jesus ascending into heaven? Have you ever noticed how the last piece of Jesus that the disciples saw was his feet?
Amazing, isn’t it? God in person on earth had feet just like you and me. And, his feet took him all over Palestine serving the divine Holy Father.
The Bible is not negligent when it comes to instructions about what to do with our feet. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth Acts 1:8 NIV).”
Jesus also said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19 & 20a NIV).”
And still more from Jesus, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12 NIV).’”
Some people who have lost feet tell me of phantom pains. They feel pain where their feet used to be. I am also sure they feel considerable pain at not being as ambulatory as they once were.
So, where is the good news? The good news is that Jesus had feet just like ours and taught us how to use them.
The good news is that we can choose to use our feet today to bring a miracle to someone’s life. The good news is that with proper care feet can last a lifetime.
And, the good news is that even if we have lost our feet, Christ still has work for us. By the way, I went to seminary with a guy who had no feet. He saw it as a small challenge to overcome.
He even preached a sermon while standing. He held himself upright on the pulpit. He never considered his state of things to be a handicap. It was merely a condition.
So, if you are breathing right now, Jesus needs you! And, if you have feet, look after them.
I’m lookin’ at the man in the mirror!