Daily Bread: Shake the Dust off Your Feet

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.  Matthew 10:14


Back in the good old Biblical days, the Children of Israel would shake the dust off their feet to symbolize their separation from the practices of the people whose city or house they were leaving.  They shook the dust off their feet to show that they were not in agreement with the choices that those people were making.  


I noticed that the scripture says you should shake the dust off your feet WHEN YOU DEPART.  And it got me to thinking, when I am in a situation or a circumstance that is below my spiritual walk, I should depart from it.  If I am not being received well, if my faith is not being received well, then I should depart.  When I find myself in a situation where I feel like I have to defend my beliefs as a child of God, I should depart.  When I find myself falling into old habits that are in direct conflict to the commandments of God, I should depart.  When I find myself in situations that are in direct conflict to what God wants for me, I should depart.


To get up and walk away from situations and circumstances is sometimes very difficult.  Sometimes its easy to stay in a bad situation because at least you know what to expect.  But we have to remember that our expectations can't compare to the expectations that God has for us.  I know I say this a lot, but it is so true.  His dreams for us are bigger than the dreams we have for ourselves.  So when we get caught up in low level situations, and stuff that is below us, we have to remember who we are, who our Father is.  And at that moment, we should hold our heads up, push our shoulders back, and DEPART.  


And once we're out of there, then we shake the dust off our feet to show that we are no longer part of that situation.  That thing that was holding us down below our divine potential is no more a part of our lives. We shake the dust off our feet to show our separation from it and that we won't be going back there again.  


So today, let's make a conscious effort to identify those people, things, behaviors that are holding us down and holding us back.  Let's make an action plan to figure out how to depart from them.  And once we do, let's shake the dust off our feet!  --Lady S.