Beautiful Feet

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!" -Romans 10:14-15

How beautiful are my feet? Well, I have never really thought of myself as beautiful, except in joking with or trying to embarrass my kids. But I especially never considered my feet to be beautiful. They have no aesthetic quality at all. They are odd-shaped and bony and awkward and to be honest my toes are a little abnormally long. But I guess all feet are a little weird if we are being honest. It is a strange appendage. They are generally thought of as being strictly utilitarian to the average person. Yet, I must admit my feet do serve me well. They get me to where I need to be. Regardless, according to the above passage of scripture, my feet are indeed beautiful. At least, they are beautiful depending upon the news they are carrying.

Of course, in the above passage in which Paul is quoting another passage from Isaiah, he was not actually referring to the physical beauty of feet. He was referring to the importance of the message they were carrying. For both Isaiah and Paul, the good news message sent by God was one that was so important and so life-changing that it made even our ugliest appendage beautiful when indeed its purpose was to carry this message. It was true in Isaiah's time. It was true in Paul's time. It is true in our time.

The last year has been a difficult one for many. We faced a worldwide pandemic. There were deaths in numbers most of us have never seen. There was job loss. There were shutdowns. Depression, suicide, domestic abuse, and other negative side effects of all this skyrocketed to all-time highs. And to make matters worse, we experienced one of the most negative election years in the history of our nation. You couldn't turn on the radio, watch tv, go online, or even pick up your phone without being bombarded with negative political ads. At best, it was a time of complete uncertainty. This uncertainty was enough to cause any of us to lose hope and to lose focus. Yet, amid all this uncertainty, one thing never changed; that is, the message of the gospel. If ever there was a time when the world needs to hear some good news, it is now.

Now let's take it a step deeper. What about you personally? Perhaps you dealt with some of these pandemic side effects. Or perhaps, life also threw some more common yet still unwelcome surprises at you amid all the others. I know it did for me. In the midst of the Covid nightmare, my family had to deal with several other things. Both my wife and I had some pretty serious health issues that were non-Covid related plus also having Covid. We also had some family crises to deal with concerning two prodigal-type situations with a couple of our children. And for most of it, we couldn't even go to church and receive the usual encouragement and strengthening we would normally get due to the shutdowns. It was, to put it bluntly, probably the worst year of our life. What about you?

Yet, as bad as it was, through it all I can now see how God was using it teach me some vital truths. His footprints are everywhere. I could tell you story after story of how God worked in my life during this time, but many of the stories are of such a personal nature that it is hard to put into words. But I can unequivocally say that I am closer to the Lord than I have been in quite some time. The downtime gave me more personal time alone with the Lord and it has renewed my interest and my calling in writing. I have come out of this pandemic with a new hunger for His word and a desire to share it even more than before. I feel even my preaching has improved. My wife and I are closer than we have ever been. While we are still dealing with the prodigal situations, instead of wallowing in all the accompanying emotions that come with such problems, I have a renewed hope that it will be ok. You see, it was God's life-changing good news that has sustained me through the whole ordeal. It can do the same for you.

Now as we see the above-mentioned scripture passages, our first response might be to think that this good news and beautiful feet stuff is for the preachers and the prophets. While it is true that it definitely applies to them, it is not a message that is exclusively for them. If you know Jesus, then you have good news to share.

Granted, not everyone is necessarily called to stand in a pulpit or to have a faith-based writing blog. But we are all called to leave gospel footprints in our lives. We can all share the love of Christ with those we love. We can all let those closest to us know how it is we didn't lose total hope during the worst year of our life. Your testimony is the good news they were talking about. It is the good news of the gospel. God has made a difference in your life and His footprints are all around you if you simply look in the right direction.

For example, these shutdowns gave me some much-needed solitude and time alone with my Lord. It resulted in a renewal. You see, his footprint was all over it. It was a reminder of just how personal and intimate of a relationship God desires to have with each of us, even one that goes deeper than our church life. Looking back I can see how he used it. He was there. It was his gospel footprint.

Do you see those footprints in your own life? I'll just bet they are there if you can manage to see past the circumstances and look for them. God is not hiding from you. He wants to be an influence in your life regardless of what you are going through. He wants to leave his tracks all over your life. He wants you to see him. He wants to be there for you, your family, and all your friends. In fact, it is not even a question of whether or not he is there for you. It is a question of whether or not you acknowledge His presence. Do you? Is your life a testimony to the difference knowing Him has made in your life? If not, it can be. He wants to walk with you, but he also wants you to leave gospel footprints as well.

Never before has the gospel message been so relevant. People need some good news. I am confident that we are all going to come out of this with some great testimonies. Are you ready to share yours? If not, then get ready. Look down at those beautiful feet of yours and take your message of good gospel news with you. You have it within you. His Holy Spirit will give you the words and the courage and the means at just the right time. Ultimately, it is just about loving God and loving others. You can do it. It's not hard. Just follow in his footsteps, …you and your beautiful feet...