It Started With A T-Shirt

Back in July, I met my new friend, Jen, at an airport in Gunnison, Co. We were both boarding a flight headed back to Texas. As we were waiting for the plane, she noticed my hubby’s shirt that said, “Be Where Your Feet Are”. So she asked us about it and said that one of her friends says it all the time. So I began telling her about my trip to California to attend one of Bob Goff’s writing workshops to learn more about writing my book. While I was there Bob talked about being where your feet are and I though it was such a cool quote that I literally came back home from that workshop with a new sense of purpose and intentionality on my mind. Through a little more conversation, she told us that she was a writer as well and when I asked her what she wrote, she told me about a Group Me Prayer Party that she started years ago to pray for kiddos, teachers and the schools around her. What started as a small group has exploded into a full on prayer party every Monday morning during the school year. It really is the largest Group Me I have EVER seen with 195 members😳. I told her she should think about writing a book herself and then I asked if I could join the group and the next thing you know I was a member and we were exchanging phone numbers. A few weeks ago she realized she would be out of town for one of her Mondays, she asked if I would step in. Y’all, I had met this woman one time and she thought of me to step in for her, to say that I was so honored would be an understatement! As I thought about what to write about, I thought back to the day I met Jen. So, “be where your feet are” only made sense. I thought I would share it with you!

What does “be where your feet are” even mean? My hubby and I have served in ministry for many years and I have heard statements like, “Where ever you are, be all the way there.” BUT, be where your feet are intrigued me. It made me wonder what that would be like. Maybe it’s because Bob Goff said it, or maybe it’s because we live in a world, that I would venture to say, we are never fully present in, especially with the people around us. Many of us are so attached to our phones, our social media platforms, and calendars that we completely miss the beauty right in front of us. We miss the opportunity to build the relationships that we were created to have. Jen and I met because we were being where our feet were, not because we were staring at our screens. We were present and willing to engage with each other. I believe God winks at us daily through the people around us and we totally miss it. The thing about being where your feet are is that you have to be aware of your surroundings. It means talking to a stranger, offering a smile to someone you cross paths with, it means being intentional with your time. This year I turned 50, and as I reflected on my first 50 years, I realized I have a few regrets. Regrets like, “I should have spent more time with my mom.”, “We should have had more family dinners when the kids were young.”, or things like “The dishes could have waited.” As I reflect on my past, I can tell you I don’t find myself wishing I would have worked more or harder. I don’t find myself wishing I could have made it to the next level in my career, or that I have any kind of smart fancy initials after my name. The things that I wish I would have done, all have to do with being intentional with the people around me. God created us to be in community with the people around us, not with our phones, our computers or AI for that matter. (That’s a whole other topic.) So what does that look like, it looks like literally BEING WHERE YOUR FEET ARE! Being fully present with the people that God has put right in front of us. It’s loving our neighbors (even the difficult ones). The Bible says in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Y’all! We get the opportunity to do this every single day. Engage with the new family that just moved into your community. Get out of the Holy huddles and make it a point to welcome them and make them feel connected. Look for opportunities to make someone smile. Love on the not so nice teacher or the crazy PTA mom (there is one on EVERY PTA board). 😂 Being where your feet are is looking for ways to make Jesus smile EVERY SINGLE DAY! Making dinner at home for the kids? Create a mashed potato mountain on the table with gravy rivers, broccoli trees and Dino nuggets (I saw that on some Facebook Reel. It looked so fun!). Make it an experience that your kids will remember for years to come. I recently learned at a retreat that we remember things better when we engage all 5 of our senses. I thought that was fascinating! Stop right now and think about some of your fondest memories. What were they? How many senses were engaged in that memory? I bet you were right where your feet were. You were in the moment!

I have found that we spend a lot of time chasing a lot of things. What are you chasing? Is what you’re chasing drawing you closer to Jesus or further away from Him? We can be doing a ton of good stuff, and still miss the mission that God has for us because we are running to and fro trying to get it all done. We cannot be where our feet are when we are running around frantic trying to do all the things. We just can’t. We have to create the space to let Jesus move. Here’s the thing. The devil can keep us really busy with good things to distract us from where God wants us to be.

Back to the day I met Jen. I wholeheartedly believe that Jen and I were supposed to meet. She was my God wink that day. My hubby and I were returning home from a little vacay we had taken to unplug. I booked our Colorado trip as a way to connect with my awesome hubby. I decided to try fly fishing. I was dipping my toe into his world. All that to say, a Colorado fishing trip was not ever on my radar, but I was leaning in to my marriage and finding rest. Two things that God takes very seriously. (See Matthew 19:6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” and Psalm 23:2-3 “He MAKES me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He refreshes my soul.”) I was creating space for God to use me by slowing down and spending intentional time with Him, His creation and my man! Had I been scrolling my phone, I never would have met Jen. Which also means I never would have had the opportunity to jump in while she is traveling. Perhaps our meeting was for such a time as this, but perhaps it is for so much more. However, I learned a long time ago that the Bible is spot on! We can make the plans but God determines the steps (Proverbs 16:9)! So whatever the reason for our encounter, I can say that I met a really cool person, got to share Jesus, my book journey and I gained a friend. I’d say that day was a huge WIN! What can you do today to create space to be where your feet are? Who might you meet if you were to just be present with those you cross paths with today? Look for God’s wink today! If you look for it you will find it, you just have to BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE! ♡ - Donna Kirkwood