Bare Feet, Parvo, and Simplicity ($2 a Day: 17-30)

When we got our first Dog, Sadie, I had quite the learning curve.  One thing I didn’t realize when she came into our home as a young pup is that she would not be able to go on long walks or to the dog park for the first couple of month.  This is because puppies have the strange unfortunate ability to absorb some of the worst diseases through their feet.  This is especially true of the worst of dog killers: Parvo.  So, we first made sure she had her first round of shots before we started taking her on walks.

On Tuesday this week I participated in “One Day Without Shoes” that was sponsored by Toms Shoes.  Basically, well, as the title suggests… you don’t wear shoes – anywhere!  So, to school and work and the store, ect… barefoot.  By the end of the day my feet were raw, dirty, and needed to be cleaned.

This is true in many ways in our Christian lives.  Sometimes, we simply need to be cleaned.  In the same way that dogs can absorb the infections of a fallen world through their feet and how I could have cut open my feet on broken glass, we too can absorb elements of evil and fail to recognize it.  For me, this Lent has been about confronting the subtle area of comfort and pickiness that often become idols in my life and confront my theology of justice.  I have been living off of $2 now for over a month, and quite honestly, it has been liberating.  Surely, taking off my protective “shoes” has exposed me to more frustration and difficulty when it comes to eating especially, but the good thing about it is that even though I am exposed and vulnerable in this way, I have been experiencing a wonderful purging by the grace of Jesus.

I realize that I haven’t had an update in the last two weeks, life did get hectic between writing a sermon and seminary papers, but here are my totals for each day.  Also, we are almost half-way to our goal for clean water in Africa, please consider donating $2 here and spread the word!!!