September 16, 2002
ANOTHER VIEW:
'Barefoot' Christians experience God's grace uniquely
___I was outside barefooted a few days ago, and the soft, sticky feel of the thick St. Augustine grass caused me to think about my childhood.
___I grew up in Baton Rouge, La. (Picture East Texas with more oak trees and fewer pine trees.) At 3426 Wayne Drive, we always had a healthy lawn. Going barefoot was a way of life, and I still remember how everything felt.
___Foot Locker and other such shoe stores would have gone out of business back then. No one my age ever wore shoes unless they were going to Goudchaux's department store or to Sunday School. No lie; I didn't even wear shoes to school until the sixth grade. If you think my family was "country," we were. We weren't poor, but we weren't sophisticated, either. Daddy's family came from Tunica, Miss., and Mama was born in Latanier, La.!
CHARLES WALTON
___Going barefooted was not without its dangers. I was drafted in 1967. During the physical exam, someone counted all the scars on my body (for battlefield identification). Over half my scars were on my feet.
___My brother, mean as a snake, once pushed me into my uncle's pond, and I stepped on a piece of broken glass with my shoeless foot. I have worn a nice two-inch scar between the first two toes on my left foot ever since. My right foot has two separate scars from puncture wounds, though the passing years have almost obliterated them.
___(I later got even with my brother. I shot him. He's OK now, but that's another story.)
___Walking barefoot produced feet that were calloused and tough, and it seems to me that I could walk on almost anything. If the asphalt roadway were too hot in the middle of a July afternoon, I would turn my feet so that only the outside edge and none of my toes would touch the pavement. A thorn or a "sticker" would usually cause only minimal damage. The only thing I remember fearing was that I might unwittingly walk in the path of an unleashed dog, if you get my meaning. And occasionally, I would stump a toe, again! But I also had the wonderful joy of running through the sprinkler.
___I still enjoy walking in grass without shoes, but nowadays I am more aware of the dangers, especially on less-calloused feet. I have noticed that my feet are much more sensitive than they used to be, and that's good. I want to really feel the grass, not just know I am barefooted.
___I heard a fellow say that we have become an insulated society. I think he is right. We live in insulated cubicles, drive to jobs or schools in insulated cubicles, work in insulated cubicles, and eventually die and are buried in insulated cubicles.
___I don't think living in an insulated world is a good thing. We may not experience as much pain when we are insulated, but neither do we know much pleasure.
___We ought to take off our shoes more often and walk in the ticklish grass.
___There is some danger, but the feel of a well-kept lawn is worth the risk. That is, if your neighbors know where their dogs are.
___Get to know people a little better. Let your guard down. Open your heart. Share your story.
___Yes, there are thorns and "stickers" and some other stuff out there you would rather not get into. And every once in awhile, you will stump your toe. But with a little care, you will be all right.
___Life is a gift to be experienced. You can start by taking off your shoes and running through the sprinklers.
___And if anybody asks you what you're doing, you can just say its something new going on at the church.
___Charles Walton is pastor of First Baptist Church in Conroe
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