I was preaching recently at a local church and my theme was “are you half empty or half full?” One of the hymns I chose was that well known hymn by Frances Ridley Havergal:
Take my life, and let it be…,
The hymn proceeds through various parts of the body including hands, voices, lips, brain (intellect), heart, as well as our time, our will, our love, our money, and even our feet – to be used in service to God.
“take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.”
We also explored whether we were “half-empty or half-full” people, and what that meant.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t describe feet as the most beautiful part of the human body! Definitely a half -empty moment! (Apologies to any podiatrists)
What does it mean to have beautiful feet?
I’m guessing in this context it doesn’t mean getting the best pedicure, or having your bunions sorted, or the prettiest nail varnish. Rather it urges us to be ready to step out and serve God; to look after our feet so that we can serve others, whether it be walking to visit a friend, or standing serving cups of tea, or standing up for injustice.
Perhaps you think feet are beautiful – the image here is my granddaughter’s footprint, which of course is beautiful! Just as our fingerprints are unique to us, so is our footprint. It can be used as evidence when investigating a crime. So, too can our feet be used for wrong purposes.
May we each recognise that we are beautiful, even our feet, bunions and all. May we use our feet as glass half-full people living with hope, stepping out to serve others, and stepping up for injustice.
(Thanks for the inspiration for this TFTD – you know who you are!)