Take Off Your Shoes

"Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5 NLT)

This morning I walked out to my garden to get some fresh holy basil to brew tea. I usually have coffee in the morning, but today I wanted to try some herbal tea, because I wasn’t feeling well. I couldn’t find any shoes near the door, so I walked out barefoot through the grass. The grass was covered in morning dew, and the sensation of the cool, wet grass, was a bit unexpected. I felt suddenly alert, all my senses awakened.  I heard the mourning dove cooing, the crickets chirping. I saw the cobwebs glistening in the early morning light. As I bent down to pick the herbs, their pungent aroma evoked the following thoughts: Why is this plant called holy basil? Aren’t the other plants holy too? For that matter, everything around me feels holy right now--the grass, the birds, the insects, the air, me...

God surrounds us, but we are oblivious. We are so busy--occupied in our daily endeavors--that we often fail to recognize the holiness in everything. In our eagerness to make an impact, we stomp around with heavy-duty, cleated boots--making a mess of things. Because we are so intent on getting noticed by others, we fail to notice God all around us. Stop! Take your shoes off. Pay attention. You are treading on holy ground.

“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 it and pluck blackberries,

And daub their natural faces unaware.”

  (by Elizabeth Barrett Browning)