Taking Off My Shoes – Part 2

 

In my last post I talked about respectfully approaching God and seeking His presence. I discussed this portion of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem:

Earth’s crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God:

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes;

The rest sit ’round it and pluck blackberries

My sister-in-law pointed out that where she used to live it was common practice to take off your shoes when entering someone’s home. A lot of countries have this practice as a sign of respect before entering a home or mosque. She mentions it is also a very humbling gesture and had some thought provoking follow-up questions.

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Taking Off My Shoes

Poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote these words:

Earth’s crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God:

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,

The rest sit ’round it, and pluck blackberries,

It caught my attention me this week. After seeing this piece of her poem, I went to the book of Exodus and to remind myself of God’s instruction to Moses.

Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” -Exodus 3:5