Take Off Your Shoes

Good Morning! 

Today I want to tell you about one of my favourite verses, one that has always caught my attention, even since I was a young teenager. Something about it has always spoken to me. 

It comes in Exodus, in the Old Testament,when Moses was living in Midian after he had fled Egypt.
He is out looking after his father in laws sheep when "the angel of the Lord appears to him in flames of fire from within a bush." The bush was on fire but it did not burn. As Moses approaches the bush, God calls to him. As if seeing a bush that's on fire but not burning isn't strange enough, it then begins to talk!! Hard to say how I'd react in this situation, but I guess when a bush starts calling your name it's only polite to answer! 


"Moses! Moses! And Moses said, "Here I am."
 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 

God goes on to tell Moses that he must go to Pharaoh and rescue the Israelites out of slavery. 

It is this verse that I have highlighted that so stands out to me though. It challenges me. 

There is a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that links to this verse, 

                                   Earth's crammed with heaven,
                                   And every common bush afire with God, 
                                   But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
                                   The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. 

The challenge is about our response. It is about how we view God. Who do we know Him to be?

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last week, about what it means, and about my own response. 

The basic answer about why Moses must remove his shoes is that it forces him to humble himself before God. It is a symbol of his fear of the Lord. I read in my Bible notes this week that "To fear Him combines reverence for His majesty with respect for His power." (Awaken, Priscilla Shirer). 
In this instance I think Moses must have had no choice but to have a healthy fear of the Lord! God met with him in a big way. In such a way that there was no denying whose presence he was in. 
Removing his shoes gave him time to prepare his heart for the meeting that was about to take place.

The second part of the verse also grabs my attention. "The place where you are standing is holy ground." Holy ground. Made holy because it is the place God has chosen to meet with Moses, to reveal himself. 

Looking back to the quote above, how often do we really recognise when we are on holy ground. Or at least when God is revealing Himself to us, is our response one of reverence and awe or do we make it about us and how we're feeling in the midst of the encounter? 

When we seek Him, and want to have a close encounter with Him, do we think more about the buzz and excitement of it, or stop and bow down and take off our shoes in honour of the King of kings and Lord of lords who stands before us?

I don't think Moses had a choice, God spoke in an audible voice and commanded him to take off his sandals and told him why. But just because we don't often hear an audible voice should we take it any less seriously. 

It's easier to stop in complete awe in those all encompassing, burning bush moments. When He feels close enough to reach out and touch Him. But what about the every day? How do you acknowledge Him and the holy ground you are walking on? The areas of your lives where He is revealing Himself in the ordinary? The details?

Obviously it might not be practical to physically take your shoes off, or get down on your knees, but how do you respond in your heart? 

I'd love to hear your stories. 

Thanks for reading.

Much love and Blessings

R x

Take 2

Dear Lovely People, 

I hope this finds you all well. 

It was over 2 years ago that I started writing this blog, and I started writing because I felt called to, it was on my heart to, and I felt there was confirmation from God. I wrote because I wanted to keep people updated on all that was going on with Owen and his health. 

When things started to settle down after the operation I stopped writing, it felt as though the blog had run its course. The original purpose of the blog was no longer there. The worst of the storm was over. 

And yet here I am, 2 years on, wondering about the blog, with that same sense of calling and desire to write again. 

To be honest, I never stopped writing, I completed one journal and moved on to the next, but my writing has only been for myself and the One I share my life with. Kind of written prayers I suppose. 

Since I have had this feeling of prompting towards the blog again, I have been praying and asking for confirmation, just as I did last time. I asked some friends to pray about it too. I don't want to do it for the sake of it, I want to have a sense of it being right to start again. 

Last week I was chatting with a friend and I mentioned that I was thinking about writing again. Her immediate response was that she had also just been thinking the same for me, that I should start the blog again! Confirmation! So hear I am! 

The desire to write goes hand in hand with my desire to be creative. I have always enjoyed drawing, designing, crafting, making. I have always wished I was more creative than I am. I guess, as I have grown older, my longing to create has become more about wanting to make something that glorifies Him. Whether by writing or by drawing. 

As this thought process has developed, it has made me think more and more about how we are created in the image of a Creator God. THE Creator. The One who has wondrous imagination, flair and vibrancy. What wonders could we then create when we are truly Spirit-led and seeking Him as we imagine into being our art works?

If you remember the series 'Heroes' there was a character who was an artist called Mohinder. His power was that he created art works that told elements of the future. He went into a zone where his minds eye saw something no one else could and he created these amazing works of art. 

Something about that always stood out to me. Obviously not in a superhero way, but in a Spirit-filled, hearing from God way. A longing to draw close enough to Him to be inspired , hearing and seeing what He's showing me, and then creating something that honours Him. 

I can only recall one occasion where I feel He has laid an image on my mind that I have then been able to recreate on a piece of paper, exactly how it appeared in my mind (the picture here). I would love to do this more and more, to give more time to listening to Him....motherhood allowing!! 


I am trusting that as I write, the same will be true, that He will inspire and guide me, that I will be able to create something that honours Him. 

So, I'm excited about starting again, you are very welcome to join me! I'm sure the topics will be many and varied! 

Much Love and Blessings, R xx