Wipe Your Feet at the Door

Muddy shoes are a pain-in-the-neck! Especially when they are on the feet of people who show up at the door of our home. Our off-white carpets don’t accept footsteps from dirty shoes without letting everyone know about it. We “encourage” our guests not to track in to our house the dirt they have collected somewhere else.
The Bible tells us that Jesus sent His disciples to visit the communities of Israel. Jesus equipped each disciple with authority to defeat the works of Satan. The Apostles were instructed to declare a message of hope. Jesus also offered the following advice; “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.” (Matthew 10:14).
Shaking off village dust was symbolic of shaking off the attitudes and responses of those who rejected the message. The dirt that had to go also represented the hurt feelings and frustrations that the disciples would likely experience. Jesus apparently saw the danger of allowing these kinds of feelings to remain attached.
Unmet expectations and offense can cling to your spirit like mud to your shoes. It is natural to feel stood up when expectations don’t show up. It is easy to equate rejection of the message with rejection of the messenger. When your words are ignored and your attempts to help are despised, the pain is intense. Feelings become reality; sunshine becomes rain; and you are left standing in mud.
The Lord does not want you to remain in the place of rejection. There are other places and opportunities that God has prepared you for. Move on. New faces and places will, however, demand leaving behind the dirt and dust of old unwelcome experiences.
There are new doors that await your knock; however, before you arrive, you may need to ask the Holy Spirit to shake you, especially your feet! The impact of the disrespect, accusations, and insults that were hurled at you must be left behind. Getting rid of the mud of hurt may take several sessions of vigorous shaking. Like a sole’s treads, so a soul’s wounds provide an ideal place for the mud of offense to stick and stay. It will take determination and it may take time.
There is a new door just ahead. So check your shoes!