“Be Where Your Feet Are”
Louise Duval
LPC, LAC, AADC
6/17/2024
I heard a quote the other day from Robert Goff: “Be where your feet are.”
As Christians, we have such a great promise and hope of Heaven after our time on the earth. With things on this earth being so bad and knowing that they are not going to get better, I often find myself longing for Jesus’s return. However, I must remind myself that I am here on earth for now, and until God calls me home or returns to get me, God has me here for a specific purpose. The quote, “Be where your feet are,” reminds me to be fully present and focused on what God would have me do today. Maybe today, He wants me to be kind to the lady in front of me in the grocery line, to spend some extra time with my kids or husband, or to smile at the person I pass on the street. Something that seems so little may mean the world to someone else.
I believe there are at least three things we can focus on while waiting for the Lord’s return. One is being a good steward of the things He has given us. Are you using your talents to glorify Him? If He has given you the gift of encouragement, encourage others; if he has given you a great singing voice, use it to praise His name. Whatever abilities or possessions you have, God wants you to use them for Him. There is a parable Jesus tells in Matthew 25:14-30 where a master leaves his servants in charge of different amounts of money. The two who use the money given to them wisely and have doubled what they were given are called good and faithful servants, but the master is not pleased with the one who just kept what he was given and returned it to him. This is how it will be with us; God will want an account of what we did with what He gave us. Will God be pleased with what you have done with what He has given you?
Another thing we can do is to enjoy life on earth, in the midst of the bad, there is also lots of good if you look for it. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus doesn’t want us to go through life, just getting through until He returns or until we die. He has put things here for us to enjoy: a beautiful sunrise/sunset, mountains, beaches, cute animals, children, and friendships. All of these things are blessings from God. None of them are essential to life. He chooses to give them to us to enjoy, and they can be reminders of His love. If we are too focused on our future home in Heaven, we may miss some blessings on earth that God has given us to enjoy.
Last but certainly not least, we can think about all the people who don’t know Jesus. If we truly believe that Heaven is real and that those who have a relationship with Jesus will be there and those who don’t will be separated from Him forever, if Jesus were to return today, there would be some people who don’t get to go there. Part of the reason God doesn’t take us to Heaven as soon as we are saved is so we have the opportunity to share with someone else what it is like to have a relationship with Jesus and invite them to have one as well. How many people will be in Heaven because you invited them?
It is not bad to long for Heaven. In fact, in Hebrews 9:28, we are told to await the return of Christ eagerly, but we can get too focused on that. In our longing, we can take time to reflect on some questions as we “Be where our feet are” because, for now, we are on earth even though we are longing for Heaven:
How can I be a good steward of what God has given me and the people He has put around me?
What good things here on earth have God given me to enjoy and remind me of His love?
Who can I tell about Jesus so that one more person can join me in Heaven?