Llama feet - What do your spiritual feet look like?

OK, you're probably tired of references to my trip to SW Colorado but I was talking with a friend the other day and something hit us that was fairly germane to the Christian walk so I have to share it today.  He was telling me about an internet piece he had received about how amazingly well designed the camel was and I told him that the llamas we had for our mountain trip were equally well suited for what they do.  So, I want to share with you a little about llamas and then see how you fit into the story.


The Llama is a camelid (same family as the camel) that was raised mainly in the Andes of South America.  They, like the camel, can go for days without drinking water and the eat almost anything.  They can carry 25-30% of their body weight for miles, up and down steep hills.


But here is the part that got us thinking:  They have the weirdest feet! They have two big toes with large thick toenails.  Their feet are soft and not hooved and they walk on rocky terrain without a thought.  As we walked a narrow and often rocky trail at high elevation, the llamas travelled effortlessly and seemed not to be concerned with the occasional dangerous slope.  They would stop and eat the dried grass as if they were walking on flat ground.  Their weird feet were made for this and they llamas were comfortable there.  But, when we got down near the trailhead, the path leveled out and there was little slope.  This part of the trail was in the dark timber and since we had had some recent thunderstorms the path was muddy and a bit slippery.  No big deal.  But when the llamas feet hit the mud they immediately became uneasy.  They slipped and slid and looked like they were afraid of falling over. WHAT?  They weren't afraid of falling nine hundred feet on a narrow rocky trail but are afraid of tipping over on level ground.  The thing is that their feet were made for one terrain and not the other.  Perfect.  We brought them because we were going to hike in the mountains and for the most part, not in the mud.


So, what are your feet made for?  I mean this more globally actually.  What are you made for?  We are the body of Christ and we are all made differently, with different gifts.  Paul tells us in Ephesians Chapter four that,


"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."


Maybe you are an out front person who shares the Gospel with whoever will listen.  Maybe you have the gift of compassion and are more comfortable sharing a quiet hug.  Maybe you are a hands on person who would rather fix a neighbor's roof than talk about your "feelings".  The point is that God made the llama's feet different than he did a cat's, a dog's, or your feet.  But each can do something different.


Here is my challenge for you today.  Reflect on your feet.  No, not your literal feet but your gifts.  How has God built you? What is your role in the Body of Christ?  What is your role in the family, in your workplace, in your church?  Spend some time in prayer and asked God to help you discern your place in his family here during your time on earth.  If your work was done, he'd have called you home!!


Peace,


David