I Want to Walk with Jesus: Barefooted and Free!

Some of my fondest memories of growing up in the Deep South are forged from my youthful days of freedom; an innocent freedom born out of my dear affection for summer (despite the incredibly hot temperatures and near 100% humidity). The long lazy days, afternoon thundershowers and endless time playing outside (barefooted of course) until long after dark are as much a part of my spiritual formation as time spent in church. For many of us the outdoors is God’s vast cathedral, one that no work of brick and mortar can ever match. Summer is a time in which life thrives intensely, just before the sudden, necessary and natural cycle of fall’s decay announces the silent dormancy of winter.

Jesus’ life and ministry (most likely barefooted) was one that was fully thriving, growing and spreading throughout Galilee and Judah. Like a bright summer’s day full of life, thunder and seemly never ending, Jesus was in the prime of his mission when suddenly the winds of change shifted, and the darkness of winter abruptly arrived. Did he expect this change? Was he prepared for this sudden and abrupt transition? His divinity certainly understood the demands of his mission, but Jesus’ humanity railed against the bitter chalice filled with gloom and death. In the youth of his life a cold chill stirred the night air in the Garden of Gethsemane; a bone cutting coldness brought on by the kiss of betrayal. The thriving life of summer came to a deafening and eerie hush, as Jesus began his silent plight to winter’s barren cross.

The very life of God flows through us because Jesus sacrificed himself for us; spilling his precious blood so that our ravaged, lost and shattered spirits might be preserved from the oppressive bondage of sin and death. Through the love and faithfulness of Christ Jesus our Lord, in the midst of winters harsh, savage and barren coldness life and hope awoke. Jesus destroyed the black emptiness of the desolate tomb, transforming the gloom of that early Easter morning into light and joyful reunion. Nothing of this world, not even death, could contain the Lord of all Creation. As hard as it is to sometimes believe, nothing of this world can separate us from the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. The cold season of winter will still fall across the landscape of our lives; the snow and hard ice will form on our hearts from time to time; and the life around us will still feel desolate and barren on occasion; that is simply life on life’s terms in this broken world. The good news is that spring will come, flowers will bloom and our lives will feel the warm hope that gently blows across our shattered hearts and dispirited dreams. And if we listen very carefully, we will hear the sounds of an eternal summer; a delightful enunciation of grace beckoning us to cast aside our heavy burdens in order to run forever, barefooted and free.