Take Off Your Shoes!

Have you ever felt like you're "missing something?" I'm talking about in the whole scope of life. In case you haven't noticed, time isn't going by any slower. In fact, I'm convinced that it's speeding up. And so are our lives. As we travel our journey through life, we're missing out on "burning bush" moments. We're missing God's voice and we're overlooking God's presence in our lives. 


Elizabeth Barrett Browning said it best:

"Earth's crammed with heaven, 
And every common bush 
afire with God; 
But only he who sees, 
takes off his shoes"


That may seem like a strange statement until you understand what she's referring to. If we're talking about burning bushes . . . we're talking about Moses in Exodus 3. Moses was tending to a flock of sheep on the far side of the wilderness. (We too can find ourselves in the wilderness of our lives . . . know this: just when you fear God has abandoned you, just when you think He's deserted you . . . it's God Himself who has led you there, so that He can draw you close enough to speak to you.) When Moses decided to get closer to this strange phenomenon . . . God spoke to Him. (Only when we approach God, come closer, anxious to experience Him, does He speak.) As Moses continued to move closer and closer, the Lord said, 


“Do not come any closer,” God said. 
“Take off your sandals, 
for the place where you 
are standing is holy ground.”
(Exodus 3:5)


It was at that moment that God revealed to Moses His great plan to free His people. Here's the thing: God waited until Moses willfully chose to come closer to God. Moses took the time to notice the burning bush and then He recognized it as something from God. It's in those "burning bush" moments that God tells us to "take our shoes off" because we're in His presence . . . we're on Holy Ground.


So, my question is . . . "Are you taking your shoes off? And how often?" I know that in my own life I have experienced MANY burning bush moments. Times where I was so aware of God's power and presence that it overtook me just as it did Moses. I realized, very quickly, that I was standing on holy ground. But, I'm convinced that there are MANY bushes that I've missed. Or maybe I noticed them, but didn't get closer to them. Quite possibly I was just too busy to hear from God. That not only grieves me, but causes me to approach each new day focused on looking for "burning bushes" in my life. 


I know I need to keep my eyes open for God. I need to be aware that He may appear at any moment . . . even if through a burning bush. I need to be ready, at any given moment, to "take my shoes off." I pray that God will bring my spirit to a place of quite possibly never putting my "spiritual" shoes on . . .  that I might recognize every step of my life to be on holy ground. I want to look through God's eye, recognizing that "earth is crammed full of heaven." I want to recognize that "every common bush is afire with God." And I want to be the one who "takes my shoes off." How about you?