My Heart... His Words

.......and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Ephesians 6:15

A few weeks ago, I bought Tim a couple new pairs of dress shoes for work. I was so happy to find a black pair and a brown pair that I thought he would like.

However, when Tim slipped his feet into each pair we discovered that one pair was too tight and the other pair was too loose. I had mistakenly bought him a "wide" size in one pair of shoes, and both shoes were a half-size too small.

Fitting someone else for shoes is almost impossible.

When it comes to shoes, "one size does not fit all."

As I was reading in a commentary this morning about having "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace," I learned that the verb form for "fitted" is one that implies "doing it on your own accord." The commentary went on to explain that this means we don't have to feel guilty if we do not have secure footing as if someone else is telling us what we need to do. We need to choose to have firm footing "on our own accord" because Jesus is our Lord. We should stand firm in our faith and in the message of the Gospel because we have a "high view of salvation" not because someone else is telling us we should stand firm.

I also learned that that when Paul wrote this passage, he was writing to a group of people-not just one person. The interpretation is that with the gospel should come peace and UNITY. As Christians, we lose strength when we are divided against each other within the church. I love this quote I found this morning,

If Satan can disrupt and divide the foundation of the the Christian army which was wrought by the gospel of peace, then he increases his chances of defeating us in individual battles.

One more thing that I never knew until this morning was that Roman soldiers would often plant sharpened sticks just under the surface of the ground so that enemy soldiers could not see them. If the soldiers were not wearing thick sandals, they would step on this sharpened sticks, piercing their feet, and leaving them unable to fight.

The sandals that the soldiers wore were also studded with sharp nails which gave the men a firm grip into the soil as they marched forward.

This morning as I think of all the different places my friends and family...and all of you...will be walking, I am praying that each of us makes a purposeful choice to fit ourselves with the "readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

Do not leave home without making sure your feet are protected from the sneaky attacks of the devil who wants to plant things in your path that will leave you unable to fight back.

Also, make sure the Gospel surrounds your feet...........helping you march forward confidently, standing firm with every step you take.

In my reading class last week, we talked about symbolism. I found an idea online for making play-doh so that my students could create objects that symbolized their character.

This morning, as you venture out into the world or face the world within your home, I'm praying that you will take a minute to think about what your "symbol" would look like.

I'll show some of their results soon. They were precious.

Here are a few pictures of the beginnings of their creations!