and with your feet fitted with the readiness that
comes from the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15)
Years ago, after
not owning hiking boots for a long time, I bought a pair. I know a lot of
people who think flip flops give them freedom, but I have to tell you, I have
never felt freer than wearing those boots. The song, “These Boots Are Made For
Walking” came to mind because when I wore them, I felt like I could walk
anywhere, in any weather. Yes, I could have sprained an ankle, or worse,
wearing them, but I felt as if such a thing were impossible. They were footwear
for someone who could conquer the world by wearing them. That’s an
exaggeration, but that’s the sort of feeling that a good pair of boots gives.
When you’re
fighting a war, boots make you ready to move in whatever direction you need to
move. In today’s passage, the readiness we feel comes from the gospel of peace.
Gospel means good
news. Peace is the lack of conflict.
If you are at peace, you aren’t fighting with anything. That means that either
you rule everything (and everyone’s happy with that) or that you have
surrendered and have accepted your place in the universe. One of those possibilities
just “ain’t gonna happen” but can you imagine – or have you experienced - how
freeing surrender is?
Some people may
struggle with surrender producing freedom. Going along with God’s rules for the
universe seems to some to be the opposite. It’s a “Stepford” existence,
mechanically doing what one is told because one can’t do otherwise. But there’s
another way to see it. If you are at peace with your society, you have the
freedom to go where you will. The fact of being at peace means you don’t have
an overwhelming desire to go somewhere you’re not supposed to. If you aren’t at
peace with your society, chances are good that you and those around you will be
miserable, and that you’ll end up in jail, with your freedom curtailed.
Freedom is not
the lack of restraint; it is the willingness to work within it. So, got your
boots on?
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