So the things in quotes are from the book and if its not in quotes its my words, I hope it makes you smile as much as it made me smile!
"If you get down on your knees, however, you are likely to become exquisitely aware of what you are doing. You will not miss much on your knees. Every seed sized piece of gravel will announce itself to you. Every pound you weigh will impress itself on you. The body is a great focuser, whether the means is pain or pleasure. The body is a great reminder of where we come from and where we are going, on the one sacred journey that we will make whether we mean to or not."
This inspired me to get on my knees and read the rest of this chapter on my knees and its true on your knees you miss nothing, from what i was reading to the ache that my shins felt from sitting in one position so long. But it also heightened my senses to every word i was reading and because of this awareness to the words on the page i think God spoke to me more on the subject of intentionality.
" Jesus walked a lot, and not only during the last week of his life. The four gospels are peppered with accounts of him walking in the countryside, walking by the sea of Galilee, walking in the temple, and even walking on water. If Jesus had driven a car instead, it is difficult to imagine how that might have changed his impact. Surely someone could have loaned him a fast horse. Instead he Walked everywhere he went, except for the short stint on a donkey at the end. This gave him time to see things, like the milky eyes of the beggar sitting by the side of the road, or the round black eyes of sparrows sitting in their cages at the market. For many who followed him around, he was the destination. Whether he was going somewhere or no where at all, going with him was the point. Food tasted better at the pace he set. Stories lasted longer. Talk went deeper. While many of his present-day admirers pay close attention to what he said and did, they pay less attention to the pace at which he did it. Jesus was a walker not a rider."
I have never stopped to think about the intentionality of Jesus. How in everything he did he was intentional. In every conversation, in every person he did or did not heal, in every meal he shared, in every house he visited, and now I see even at the pace at which he walked. If he had been moving more quickly he may have missed the things that he took the time to see, but being perfect and all he let them become a focus for him, just as he came into focus for them. Then that made me think of not just walking intentionally but the spiritual practice of going barefoot... that even with my hatred for feet going bare foot has always been something that brings me great joy! So that made me think what if I walked intentionally barefoot, what then would God reveal to my soul! But then i thought I would look like a nut walking around LA barefoot..not to mention that would be nasty. But because I was on my knees and more aware of my thoughts and Gods soft voice in my heart he said to me Why are you so afraid of what people may think of you? he took my mind of this quickly by reminding me of the thought that there are people who go barefoot in this world because they have no shoes. What would it be like to walk through the world with so little cushion, what nasty things would i walk through if I hunted for my lunch like my brothers and sisters in this world have to do. I think if done properly the spiritual act of going barefoot can take you halfway around the world and wake you up to your own place in the world all at the same time.
He then pointed me to scripture in Exodus, that reminds us to "remove the sandals form your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
God allows me each day to walk on holy ground, especially at Wyvernwood, where kids take refuge, where they seek innocences, where they come for a few hours of intentional joy that is given by God through our groups. Today at Wyvernwood a group of kids played capture the flag not to win but to play. Big kids helped little kids, little kids smiled bigger at the big kids, older kids chose younger ones as MVPS and gave them the teams flags.
As I stepped back tears filled my eyes as I was overcome with the presence of the kingdom and I heard a small voice whisper "remove your sandals for the place on which you stand is holy ground."
And then I could not think of a more worthy place to be considered Holy ground! The thought of bare feet on holy ground instead of grossing me out filled me with joy and i had an over whelming feeling of desiring to fall on my knees and wash the feet of Jesus...I think i want that to be the first thing i do when i get to heaven!
