Beautiful Feet

Bible Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10; Romans 10:13-17

“I hate my feet!” said Madison. “They’re too big.”

“They are not!” replied Emory, her older sister. “You’re tall, so you need bigger feet

to move around and hold you up.” She grinned. “I think your feet are beautiful.”

Madison laughed. “Thanks. I wish everyone felt that way. Sometimes kids make fun of my feet.”

“Well, just because some people think smaller feet are more beautiful doesn’t mean they’re right,” said Emory. “But I know their words can still hurt—and people’s opinions can also be hurtful in other ways. People in China once thought only small feet were beautiful too, and girls’ feet were wrapped up so tight that they couldn’t grow.”

Madison frowned. “Did they really do that?”

“Yeah, a long time ago,” Emory said. “It was very painful, and girls weren’t able to use their feet the way they were supposed to. A book I read told a story about a Chinese woman who had her feet bound when she was very young, and they hardly grew at all. When she was older, she had to be carried to lots of places because her feet were too delicate to walk over rough or uneven ground.”

Madison’s eyes widened. “That’s horrible!”

Emory nodded. “But you know what? The woman in that story eventually learned that her feet were beautiful not because of their size but for another reason.”

“Really?” asked Madison. “What was it?”

“Well,” said Emory, “the woman became a Christian. After she got married, she and her husband became missionaries to their own people—the Chinese.”

“And?” prompted Madison when Emory paused.

“Don’t you see? This woman was using her feet to spread the good news of Jesus, and the Bible says that people who do that have beautiful feet!” Emory explained.

“Where in the Bible does it say that?” Madison wanted to know.

“Somewhere in Romans,” said Emory. “The point is, using your feet to go tell others about Jesus makes them beautiful. God gave us feet so we could use them, and the best way to do that is to go into the world and share the message that Jesus died for our sins so we could have peace with God.”

Madison looked at her feet again and smiled. “Then I want to have big, beautiful feet!”

–Jean A. Burns

How About You?

How do you feel about your feet? Do you think they’re beautiful? Your feet were created with care by God, and He wants you to use them. When you carry the good news of Jesus to others and share the message of the wonderful gift He offers to anyone who trusts in Him, you are using your feet to help people know they can be saved and have eternal life. And the Bible says that makes your feet beautiful!

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 10:15 How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Tell others about Jesus