How Can Feet Fitted with Peace Help Me At All?

“… and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 (NIV)

I’ve been a dancer since the age of 5. I performed professionally with a dance troupe in the 5th grade. Stayed involved in student productions and dance marathon fundraisers through college and med school. Realized my childhood dream of being a paid dancer in a dance company on my 32nd birthday. And started my own dance company then became a dance professor 5 years later.

So… I have “dancer feet.” Ew.

Blisters, callouses, fallen-off toenails, sprained ankles, a *probably* broken toe… in 2 words: not pretty.

All my life, well-made shoes have been important to support my hard-working, if ugly, feet. In fact, I learned early that expertly-made shoes are essential for high performance. If you’re an athlete, dancer, nurse, or surgeon, you know.

If you’re a woman, a minority, or someone targeted in your society for any reason, you know good shoes are also good for running for your life.

In my case… running for your life with your best friend when it’s after midnight in Chicago, and the cops pull over to ask if you’re OK because “Do you two know where you are?” And you and said best friend look at each other in fear because you’re not even sure if you can trust said “cops.”

So you both run. Top speed.

In your really good heels.

But that’s another story.

Or is it?

Wait, I don’t get my feet fitted with army boots?

When I first felt the weight of God’s full armor being placed upon me on the morning of my baptism, I thought I knew what to do. I thought maybe I was special enough to skip boot camp. Nope! I started feeling attacked witthout knowing how to defend myself within those first 24 hours.

I really did need proper training. I knew from my dancer/athlete experience that I needed a proper teacher, a proper coach. I humbly groveled and begged the Holy Spirit for help right away.

He directed me to Scripture to review all the pieces of armor apostle Paul had listed. The belt, breastplate, shield, helmet, and sword were items that had a military counterpart I could clearly visualize. I could even pretend to proudly touch or valiantly hold each item. Being a visual-kinesthetic learner, that was super helpful.

Bummer for me when I realized that what I had assumed were going to be boots – or at least shoes, or even sandals –

were, um, not even flip-flops.

I only get feet fitted with, um, “readiness” and “peace”? Really?

As someone who tests heels by running around the store, feeling for arch support, comfy toe box protection, and “run-ability,” this was a colossal disappointment. I needed to feel like I could run to spiritual safety the same way I felt I could run to physical safety in any pair of shoes I owned.

The Holy Spirit then guided me to 2 things: the words of the Word and… my 15-year-old son.

I mentioned this struggle to my son, who was baptized 6 months before I was. He relayed to me an idea from the Christian Discord community he’s a member of, Above Reproach Ministry. The idea is a fascinating one: perhaps Paul left the feet “bare” because, in Paul’s time, priests had to go barefoot when they walked on holy ground.

Even Moses was commanded to remove his sandals when God appeared to him in the Burning Bush. (Exodus 3:5 NIV)

And apostle Peter reminds us that we followers are all “a royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:0 NIV) Perhaps we can all manage with “bare” feet.

Cool idea, truly. But I still wanted shoes. Because I knew shoes. I wanted support the way a solid steel shank holds up a fallen arch – but for my fallen soul. I wanted protection the way a strong toe box protects from shards of glass, without giving me toe blisters – but from shards of the words of bad-guys-in-disguise.

But the covering I wanted on the outside was different from what I really needed.

I needed something on the inside of my spiritual feet. They needed to be ready.

Ready to run.

Be ready to run from The Darkness

That long-ago dark, scary night in Chicago was a lesson. That night was darker and scarier than most nights because my friend and I couldn’t discern whether the “cops” were good guys or bad guys in disguise.

That’s a type of spiritual Darkness. When you’re unable to discern, The Enemy sees – and seizes – his opportunity to trip you up. Separate you from your support and make you fall. Cut and blister your soul’s feet when you try to run, so it hurts too much to run.

So he can grab you.

That’s a situation to be ready for, with the Holy Spirit teaching us and coaching us from inside.

Then our spiritual feet are poised – ready to run so we won’t get tripped up, cut, or blistered, at least not too badly! Because The Darkness is always trying to overtake us. Sometimes in disguise as “good guys” placed there to try to grab you.

So we must always – always – be ready.

How does the “gospel of peace” make me ready?

Let’s circle back around to our position as priests.

Here’s 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV):

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

“That you may” gives us our what, why, and how. Let’s use “that you may” in our Reflective Response below, to make ourselves ready with the gospel of peace.

Are you ready to slip this phrase onto your spiritual feet – so you’re ready to run from The Darkness and into God’s Light?

Reflective Response

NOTE: All quotes below are taken from 1 Peter 2:8-9 (NIV).

“You are… God’s special possession, that you may…”

WHAT:

“…declare the praises of him who called you…”

• What specific praise are you ready to stand on your feet and declare to someone today?

WHY:

Because He “called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

• Why are you able to stand and praise today?
  • Did you have to run from a situation of spiritual Darkness – and TO God’s light?
• BONUS – Might you even take this moment to declare praise for that situation?

HOW:

In 1 Peter 2:8b (NIV), Peter explains, “They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.”

• How can you slip your feet into God’s message so you won’t stumble?
  • Does that involve changing into the best-made shoes – for example, the best-made readings or the best-made guidance?
• BONUS – Might obeying God’s message help you to discern the “good guys” from the “bad guys” when you’re walking through a dark situation?

Because by obeying God’s message and being priests praising Him – standing barefoot on any ground yet still supported and protected from the inside – His gospel of peace makes us ready to run from dark, dangerous situations and into His safe, wonderful light.

Always.