Barefooted Joy

Barefooted Joy

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Some time ago I was driving around an Amish community when I passed by a school during the afternoon break. Twenty or so children were running around the playground. There was a volleyball game. There was a game of tag. Some of the children laughed as they spun on the ancient merry-go-round, and all of them were . . . barefoot.

I smiled when I saw them racing around on the spring grass without a shoe in sight. One Amish man I spoke to told me that as a child he knew summer was just around the corner when he could kick off his shoes. Shoes are needed for chores and school, but summer is a time of barefooted play.

There is nothing more humble than running around barefoot. There is no pretense. No one’s looking to impress others. There’s a simple sense of abandon that comes with being free of shoes and socks. There’s an appreciation for God’s good earth and the warm season He’s brought.

In a time when modern teens are complaining they don’t have the newest iPhones or are demanding the latest expensive sneakers (two conversations I’ve overheard recently), Amish children enjoy the simple things in life. If anything, they share the goodness of God through their laughter, their simple games, and their barefooted ways. That reminds me of Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

Do you want a reminder that God is good? Watch children at play. They are unexpected messengers who remind us that life doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems. Their laughter gives us hope for the day and hope for the future.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the messengers of good news You bring into my life. They remind me to find joy in You. May my heart fill with laughter and bubble over.