Shake it Off!

A couple of weeks ago, Carol told us the story of Jesus sending out the 12 disciples, and we talked about what it means to "shake the dust off your feet". Here is a little excerpt from Carol's talk:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

Then Jesus went to the villages around there, teaching the people. ⁷ He called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two. He gave them authority over the evil spirits ⁸ and ordered them, “Don't take anything with you on the trip except a walking stick—no bread, no beggar's bag, no money in your pockets. ⁹ Wear sandals, but don't carry an extra shirt.” ¹⁰ He also told them, “Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that place. ¹¹ If you come to a town where people do not welcome you or will not listen to you, leave it and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a warning to them!”

What do you think shake the dust off your feet means?

I think this means when you realise that there are people in your life that are causing more negativity than positivity, and you need to know that it is ok to leave them behind and shake their negativity off – shake the dust off your feet.

KNOW YOUR SELF-WORTH

It is about knowing that we are unique and have worth in the eyes of God.  We don’t have to let others determine who we are and what we are worth?

God tells us that we are so precious to Him that He knew us BEFORE we were ever born, (Jeremiah 1:5).  He knows the very number of hairs on our head, (Matthew 6:26) and collects all of our tears, (Psalms 56:8).

It is about stopping and knowing that you are of value – you are priceless.  That you do not NEED approval from others.

Our Awesome Kids then had a whole lot of fun painting our feet with glue, making our own pottles of dust, and creating some funky footprints. As we shook off the excess dust, of course we sang, "Shake it Off!"

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Mary Stevenson, 1936