God of Barefoot Spirituality

One more short scene in Moses’s encounter with God in Exodus 3 (to be continued in the week ahead):

4 When the Lord saw that he [Moses] had gone over to look [at the burning yet not consumed bush], God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

What is this barefoot spirituality that God asks of Moses?

Shoes and the social rules governing when we wear them are complex and culturally conditioned. Taking them off can be a sign of respect, showing a desire to be humble, or a nod toward ritual cleanliness in a sacred space. We see strong hints of this in Moses’s response - he was overwhelmed in the presence of God, so much so that he hid his face.

But was that God’s intent? God’s purpose seems to be connection with Moses and helping him discover the rootedness of his identity - that he is part of a long line of love between God and his ancestors. And taking off shoes can also be about intimacy, comfort, coming home. We slip off social convention and our public, workaday selves, connecting once again with the elementals of who we actually are. To do this in a natural space like Moses invites us perhaps to a new layer of re-wilding and grounding as we wiggle our toes in the dirt.

"Take off your shoes and feel the earth under your feet, as if the ground on which you are standing really is holy ground. Let it please you. Let it hurt you a little. Feel how the world really feels when you do not strap little tanks on your feet to shield you from the way things really are [and, my addition, from who you really are]." - Barbara Brown Taylor

We’ve talked in the past about actually trying the simple act of taking off your shoes as a spiritual practice. Would you like to right now, perhaps even outside? How else might you allow yourself to physically experience the deep rootedness of your true self in God’s love?

Take a few moments to lean into and breathe through the practice you choose. You are loved.