Muddy Boots

 




When I was a little girl helping my dad on the farm, days after it rained were always not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I love a good rainstorm, and Lord knows we need it right now in the Midwest. (Pray for rain, pray for the farmers today) 

But it was always so hard for me to walk in the thick mud after it rained. I was slipping and sliding and trying to keep from falling down in the mess. I would find myself knee deep in what felt like concrete sticking to my boots (and sometimes my legs - yuck!) It would take all my strength to put one foot in front of the other. It was just so hard to move. And if the cows planned to run out of the gate while my back was turned, I stood no chance in getting there in time 😂

The mud on my boots could get so heavy. My legs would be so tired after getting done with the chores, and those were just the normal tasks we would do day in and day out. They seemed much more daunting when wading through what felt like wet cement. 

Sometimes life gets to be that way too. For me, the mud sticking to my boots lately has been unforgiveness. The harsh words of others, the offenses that I took to heart, the moments that simply missed the mark, they cling to me until I cannot stand and can barely walk. It takes a lot more effort to do the everyday things when I am bogged down with unforgiveness in my heart. The thing about mud is, it dries and cakes on in layers. And so does unforgiveness and bitterness when left unchecked and unattended. One offense leads to another and then another. And if at some point I don't wash off and seek healing with God, then I carry more and more of the gunk with me everyday, until it takes a toll on my abilities to live my daily life in the freedom and fullness of God. 

I have this poor habit of clinging to those harsh words and painful experiences, parading around with them as if it is evidence of all the gunk I've been through. That maybe if people see how thick it is, they will excuse the poor behaviors that surface from the hurt I've left unchecked. Maybe they will commend me as some sort of brave soldier who has been through so much. Or maybe it's because I have put so much stock in what everyone says about me, that I feel like every word or experience defines me. That I have to let their muddied concepts stick to me, because surely some part of what they say is true. But what if it wasn't? Or it didn't have to be? What if instead of having others' opinions cling to me like mud on my boots, I sat with their words for a moment, reflected on their truthfulness, asked God for His insight and then simply let it go? 

Friends, I have to confess that I struggle so much in vain trying to pull myself out of the mud by my own strength. I trudge through life with mud-caked boots and try to cover up the muck with distractions instead of simply running to the Father and letting Him rinse me off. Like a parent hosing down a child who is covered in filth before they can come back inside the house. (We've all been there) The thing about mud is, it doesn't just disappear. Even after it has dried, you still leave trails of it everywhere you go. The mud has to be washed off in order to walk freely and without tracking it all over. That is why we need to call to the Lord for Him to cleanse us. 

Unforgiveness left unchecked sticks with you, just like mud sticks to your boots

Psalm 40 opens as a testament to God's faithfulness; of hearing His children and pulling them up from the mud. Not only pulling us up, but also setting our feet on a firm place, instead of the sludge we've been standing in. We do not have to continue to walk in unforgiveness. We do not have to remain bitter about how things panned out. We don't have to continually wade through the mud. Because it is exhausting. 

Christ is our Firm Foundation. His Voice is the one that should reign supreme in our lives. His opinions and thoughts of us should carry the most weight. 

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him.
Psalm 40:1-3




Image from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/581668108142438477/



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