As my husband and I went for our walk yesterday we saw a pair of abandoned boots:
I looked at them as we walked past, laughing that God was showing me something, just not knowing what. Having walked past the spot, I felt a gentle nudge to go back and take a photo…
I asked the Father what He was trying to tell me about them. I felt He said that it was time for us to change our shoes, to change our walk. I feel He is saying that to the Bride of Christ – He is saying to us all that we have had our work boots on for so long, and now it’s time to take them off and stop working so hard for Him.
We have been doing and doing and doing… without knowing who we are first…
These abandoned boots say it’s time to change our walk, and hence, take our work boot off and get ready for a change of shoes. The boots had done well in the past, but now they needed exchanging for an upgrade, for a fresh way to walk.
What I found particularly interesting was the direction they were facing:
Boots facing out to sea © Beth Kennedy 2020
If someone was standing in these boots, they would look out to sea – one of my favourite places to look. Noting the direction I felt God whisper again:
It’s important what direction we face in these times. It really matters what we are fixing our gaze upon in this season of transition.
It was as if the wearer had seen the beauty of the view, and had discarded the boots for a walk of simplicity and purity, a bare-footed walk with a focus on God’s goodness, God’s beauty. It resonates of Moses stopping for the burning bush, removing his shoes in the desert, for he was standing on Holy Ground:
‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground’
It is at this point God gives Moses his commissioning, but first Moses had to stop, take off his work boots, and listen!
So we take off our work boots (our works) and in simplicity (bare-footed) we go to Him, sit, wait, linger and hear His heartbeat for ourselves, and as we hear the heartbeat for ourselves, we will also hear His heartbeat for those around us. As we do both: hear Him for us; hear Him for them, He will equip us afresh with new shoes, and these shoes will look quite different to the old.
I don’t know what my new shoes will look like.
I don’t know what your new shoes will look like.
But for now we need not know, we need simply to stop and take off our shoes.
Come to me and be still.
Rest a while and know that I am good.
Breathe and allow me to take you through the storm and on the other side of all this, then, having rested, you will be ready to run the race set before you.
Yes, we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. Yes, we are in a ‘reset’ (even the nonChristian world is using this phrase). Yes, it is challenging, and confusing, and different… but God!
If we can all collectively stop, take off our work boots, ‘be still and know (experientially) that [He is] God’ (Ps 46:10), breathe, rest and listen… and then go with Him rather than for Him, then I believe that the world will see that…
God is Good!
Tell me:
How has God been talking to you in these last few days?
Have you seen similar ‘burning bushes’ or ‘signs’?
Love, love, love this!!
Oh thank you my beautiful friend 💕💕💕
This is beautiful and confirming what God has been showing me! He keeps speaking to me about new shoes too! Then just yesterday, he showed me that I have been “working in the garden” and then He took the shovel and told me it is His turn now and told me to leave the garden and rest! He’s so good and HE wants to do the work in this season while we trust. My dad (Bill Sweeney) shared your blog with me. He said you and I are a lot a like 😀
Oh I got in the garden yesterday too. If we are alike maybe we should connect by zoom. Time difference may be crazy but… why not? You must be a prophetic seer/feeler 😊🌷
And for you dad to say that is one of the most lovely things 💕 because I know how much he adores his girls (a bit like God the Father hey?). I feel like He wants us to prepare but not strive or work … if that makes sense??
Much love and if you’d like to connect let me know, I’ll email your dad 💐
I am sorry I never saw your sweet reply! I subscribed to the comments on your blog so I should be receiving them next time. Thanks for taking the time to write and share how Good God is in your life! “See” you soon!
Great post, Beth. Those boots are so random 🙂 I paused and looked at the picture and laughed. It’s as if the guy was ruptured 🙂
I love what you got out of the scene. I agree with you. With the pandemic forcing so many to stay home, it’s as if God is telling us to take our boots off and sit at the feet of Jesus for a while.
Good morning my lovely friend 😊. Funny you should say ‘sit at the feet of Jesus’ because our new zoom group is called ‘sitting at the feet of the Father’ 😆
In our Wednesday group one person felt the 2nd picture spoke of walking on water – stepping out in faith and walking out onto the water, which I felt was lovely. And strangely the day after I posted I was in a prayer meeting that covered this scripture which also addresses where we place our focus:
Philippians 3:12-4:1 Pressing toward the Goal
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
Which is followed by one of my life scriptures Phil 4 😊
Lovely post Beth! Even better view! Nice to see you thriving in this season and bringing others alive with your timely messages.
Thank you my beautiful friend. Someone said to me it’s the day of UFO: up, forward, out. Come join me for you we’re born for such a time as this!🌷
I agree 100% with you that it Is time to change our shoes, to change our walk. And I concur with what you sense god is saying to you about slowing & resting. Reassuring & setting new goals. In stark contrast to you, I new as soon as i saw the photo of the boots that they were the heavy down trodden boots Satan had been holding me in for the last 3-4 years., but you noticed they were empty , no one in them, because I’m not in them anymore, Jesus rescued me out of those boots, those “ you ain’t goin anywhere buddy” boots. And now I’ve got my running shoes on, I’m running the race, no time to waste, no time to rest, for me at least. For those that need rest, then rest right now, You must rest. I will take up the batten, those old boots can’t hold me down, it’s so exciting that the same boots can mean so much to all of us, It can be so encouraging, & all it takes is that little “nudge”. Walk on in Jesus name.
Brilliant – I LOVE this comment. Thank you. If you look at another comment you will see another remarkable man, Bill Sweeney say the boots look like they belong to someone who has been raptured (he feels ready to go home to Jesus). Read his blog, it’s amazing! http://www.unshakablehope.com it will rattle you in all the good ways! Run on my friend, in your lane, and we will cheer you on as you finish your race XXX
What a powerful revelation darlin! Precious truth and a timely word.
Good morning my friend. Others have got:
1. Possibly Raptured (Bill Sweeney at http://www.unshakablehope.com) he, his wife and now adult girls are amazing);
2. No longer being held down by the devil in those boots, they’re empty because he’s running (friend who has just got reignited for Jesus).
Someone else in our zoom group said makes him think of stepping out and walking on water and gave a prophetic word on that point.
So many different messages from one pair of abandoned boots 🥾- Im glad I listened and took the photo 🤣
Lol…oh that’s awesome!!!
When I saw those boots, it felt like old wineskins.. stepping away from the old and into the new!
They could also be generational lineage…
New wine skins yes!
Boots of heavy work to be left behind
Generational lineage yes
🥾🥾🥾
YES and YES!! Amen
Being worker boots speaks to me of striving and self effort. These could be exchanged for another lighter pair of boots. Soooo good!!
The old must be left behind as we step into the new season. 🌷
Boom 💥