Dirty Feet

I like dirty feet.  I'm not crazy or un-hygeinic or into weird fetishes, I promise!

Dirty feet show that a person has done something other than sit around all day (that, or they haven't showered in a long time...).  Dirty feet are products of going somewhere, doing things, and experiencing the world through the sense of touch by not covering up with socks or shoes.  And it is quite satisfying seeing dirty feet go to clean feet in the shower, seeing the dirt run off into the drain.

I was thinking about dirty feet in the shower this morning (go figure!), and I realized something:  I want dirty feet when I get to heaven.  Not literally, but I want to have a lifetime of experiences and missions for God behind me when my feet touch those streets of gold.  I don't want to arrive in heaven clean and protected from the world and its filth, having done nothing other than protect myself from being around "sinners" and being persecuted for my faith.

The disciples had dirty feet, literally and figuratively.  We're familiar with the literal dirty feet from when Jesus washed his disciples' feet at the Last Supper. But dirty feet is referenced in another passage. Matthew 10:14 says, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet."  There were many places where the disciples were not welcome; they were persecuted and put to death for the Gospel.  Did they literally shake the dust from their feet when they left towns where they were opposed?  Probably not.  But they got dirty for the Gospel.  They traveled, they spent time with the outcasts and the sinners to bring them to Christ, and they did not shield themselves from the world.  And they received rewards in heaven for it, and helped spread the Gospel effectively and quickly.

Where have I gotten my feet "dirty"?  I've stood up for Christ at community college and in front of fellow student pilots.  I've gone witnessing at Wal-Mart and door-to-door in my old neighborhood.  But lately, I've only been tipping my toes into the dirt and staying comfortable right at my doorstep, thinking it is sufficient to look out upon the world and spread the Gospel as much as possible without taking a step, which is, in fact, impossible.  My feet have been pretty clean lately, and I intend to remedy that.  I am taking a step into the virtual world, and I will be taking steps into the real world.  I will not remain quiet when I hear co-workers discussing God or the Bible in a way that is disrespectful or wrong.  I will  take every opportunity to mention Christ and His work for me.  I will boldly proclaim the name of Jesus, even to strangers in the Wal-Mart checkout line.  I lost some of my passion for evangelism in college, and I am praying that God will give it back to me.

I want my feet to be dirty when I reach heaven.