Beautifully Ugly Feet

As I write this, my horribly calloused feet are soaking in a foot bath with sea salts in a desperate attempt to bring a deeply implanted thorn to the surface of my heel. We have tried poking and prodding; we have tried baking soda compresses; we have tried shaving off skin; but tonight, after one week of taking up residence in my foot, we are determined to get that incredibly painful nuisance out of my heel.

I guess feet isn't the most glamorous topic for a blog, but they are a very essential part of our bodies. I have spent a lifetime being embarrassed of those two little appendages. They have callouses, like change the color of your feet callouses. I've struggled with warts and blisters on them. In fact, I told James when we were dating, "You'll know that I love you when I show you my feet." So peeps, in summary, they are pretty ugly.

I think we can all agree that feet are usually not the most beautiful parts of our bodies. They were made to help transport us from here to there, taking the abuse of rocks, dirt, mud, holes, inclines, and other natural elements. Of course, God knows all that. So, when he calls feet "beautiful" in Romans 10:15, it gives us a moment of pause. He says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Yes, even the most calloused, disease-ridden feet in the world, are absolutely stunning to their Creator when they are used to further His story.

This morning, I had the privilege of going door to door for Saturate Toledo which is an effort to put the Gospel message on every doorstep in Toledo. Before we got too deep into the neighborhood, James said we needed to stop and pray as a family. My prayer was that God would give us one good conversation with someone that needed to hear His message. God certainly answered that prayer. I was able to present the Gospel to a young man who was seeking his next steps in life. He listened intently. He was not ready to make a decision, but he promised he would read the information I gave him. My family circled around the man and petitioned our Heavenly Father on his behalf. It was truly the highlight of the day.

My kids produce sounds of disgust when they look at my feet. My mom just shakes her head when she sees them. And James, well, he just smiles in sympathy. But today, my friends, God says my feet are beautiful, and His opinion is all that matters.