In preparation for the summer season, I recently used a foot mask on my feet. A foot mask is basically two plastic booties filled with toxic chemicals that you wear on your feet for an hour. After an hour, you make your way to the shower (trying not to slip and fall on your bum) to wash the noxious concoction off of your feet in the shower.
The Walking Dead
Initially, nothing happens but in a few days the skin on your feet will begin to peel off. This is not pretty. You do not want to wear sandals during this time. Let me blunt, your feet will look like they belong on The Walking Dead. To make it worse, you are strictly prohibited from peeling or scrubbing or sanding your feet. You just have to wait for the skin to fall off on its own. This is actually the worst part for me. Ever since the days when tans were vital and sunburns were the beginning of summer events, I’ve been a compulsive peeler. Anyway, now my feet are just about done peeling and the result is beautiful! Callouses, dead skin (that sounds so gross), and rough spots have been replaced with lovely, smooth baby skin. This process kind of reminds me of childbirth – the waiting, the messy painful process of labor, the reward of a beautiful bundle of joy. I guess you could say my tootsies got born again.
Don’t Rush The Process
In the middle of this as I was trying to resist the urge to peel, God spoke into my heart, “Don’t rush the process or you’ll be cheated.” I put my sock back on. He continued to speak, “Sometimes we must go through a stripping away where everything that has become too familiar must be released in order to receive the better things I have for you. It isn’t comfortable. In fact, quite often, it can be painful and feel like loss but if you trust me in the process, I will bring you through to renewal.”
His Promise Is Renewal
For many of us, 2020 was a period of stripping away. A time when things we had taken for granted were no longer accessible and we had to find new ways to do things. Hello bidets and Zoom. It’s been painful for many but I want to encourage you. If you can trust God to bring you through, his promise is renewal. I’m not trying to minimize loss but I know God and I know the end result will simply be dazzling. I am not saying God caused 2020 and all of its challenges. I am saying, he is not thwarted by evil and will actually use our trials to bring us further into the kingdom.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
RomANS 8:28
On another note, if you enjoy my writing I’ve just published my second book. My friend, Geoerl Niles, and I have co-written a book on dream interpretation entitled “Dreams Matter.” Don’t freak out, this is not new age. When you consider that some of the greatest heroes in the Bible were dream interpreters (Joseph and Daniel), you will understand the impetus for writing this book. Anyway, Dreams Matter is available on Kindle and Amazon books here. Thanks for your support!