Sensible shoes?

He has showed you, O man, 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

Someone told me today that I have "sensible shoes faith." That when life is dire, when things seem all crazy and out of whack, somehow I seem to bear a faith that still makes sense. 

A faith that fits, that is up for the long walk. No high-heeled faith that looks sensational, but is wobbly under pressure, or flimsy, flip-flop faith that doesn't stand the test.

Sensible shoes faith. Wow. High praise, indeed-- and perfect imagery.

My faith is comfortable (most of the time). I have forged it with the Almighty, allowed myself to be relentlessly pursued by his love (even though I am known to squirm and twist in his loving embrace, try sooooo hard to get away).

Like an athlete in training, I attend to my faith regularly. I spend time in quiet; I pray; I engage with Scripture; I gather with others in a faith community. (Not always as diligently as I would like, or as I should. Some days I spend paving that road to you-know-where with my good intentions.)

A sensible, living faith may, at times, need adjusting, tightening or loosening a bit for a particular leg of the walk. The foundation, the support remains firm and steadfast, but sometimes, a close examination of what is going on is needed. (This, in my faith walk, is where those tough conversations happen. The ones about what the Bible has to say about loving one's neighbor when one's neighbor is a jerk, for instance. Things like that.)

Jesus reminded his disciples, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). In other words, as I read it: Be careful making declaratory statements about the fate of others, because in the end, if it applies to them, it just may be applied to you, as well. 

Sensible shoes. Easy to lace up. But on a broken, difficult path such as the one we call life? Don't even think about kicking them off and going without.

Lord Jesus, I am ever so grateful that you sent your Spirit to dwell within us. Help me walk closely in your path. May my shoes stand up to the journey-- for the long haul-- one day at a time. Amen.