With a Subtitle: What a no-shoes household rule taught me about living in God's presence

A brief Excerpt: My sister had a no-shoes rule in her house. I hated it, then adopted it. Acts 7:33 calls us to see something deeper: wherever we walk, we walk on holy ground in the presence of a holy God.

The Author is: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Acts 7:33, “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’”

Background

Years ago, before either of us had kids, Ashley and I used to visit my sister and her husband when they lived in Wilmington. For what seemed like several years, they were renovating their house, and much of our visit would consist of lending a hand in the work that needed to be done that particular weekend. Now, having moved into this nice house, which I believe was the first one they owned, and intent on making it nicer, my sister had initiated the rule of removing your shoes when you came into the house. Now, I had never experienced this restriction before, even growing up with two brothers and a bunch of shag carpet, so I was less than excited about having to take off and put back on my high-top tennis shoes every time I went in or out the door. Were I someone who wore flip flops or the like, I think I would have taken to the rule more readily. But as things would turn out, once we had our own house and our own messy, filthy kids, my wife and I instituted the same footwear restriction that my sister had so many years before. Now, I know in our case, and I think the same is true for my sister, that the prohibition of wearing shoes all around the house had nothing to do with considering our residence as holy ground. We were simply trying to minimize the amount of dirt that gets brought into and carried around the house.

Application

But thinking on it now, perhaps we need to reconsider how we view our homes. Perhaps there is more to this holy ground thing than I realized. Maybe if the floors you walk across so many times during the day and night welled up within you a certain reverence and awe for the God who is right there with you, then you and your family might alter the way you spend your time and interact with one another. Perhaps if the rooms you’ve filled with stuff became places of worship and fellowship, love and sacrifice, then all the people and places outside your home would take on a different light and appear to us the way they appear to God. Maybe then the peace of God, which passes all understanding, would not pass us by as we struggle with everyday life. Shoes or no shoes, you’re walking on holy ground in the presence of a holy God. May that make a difference today.

Charge

As we seek Him today, let everywhere you go take you to the presence of your Holy God and Father.