Posted on: 5th April 2022

Ballet dancers pay a high price to be the best at their art. I've watched videos online where the dancer's feet are so worn, beaten, and to be frank, the toes look wholly bent out of shape. Professional dancers, I read, often refuse to let other people see their feet outside of the dance studio. All that suffering and preparation to gain mastery of the art of movement is pretty cool.

I'm not a ballet fan, but I admire and respect the lengths they go to, which enable them to perform their craft to an astonishing degree. So here is a thought: Maybe professional dancers have an alternative standard of beautiful feet? The more worn, the more battered, the more honour they feel they have brought to their performance.

God paid the ultimate price – the life of His only Son – to achieve the restoration of His lostchildren to Himself. Therefore, we should be willing to get our feet "messy" (by going and sharing the Good News). Messy feet like these are truly beautiful by God's standard.
I love the statement a ballet dancer says at the end of a YouTube video I watched, "Dance with your heart and your feet will follow." If we choose to love the lost as God loves them and allow our heart for the broken to line up with God's heart, then our feet will follow, and we will want to do all we can to bring them into His Kingdom.

But, there is a cost to living out God's mission above our own selfishness. Many Christians worldwide put their lives at risk just by owning a Bible. For those in closed countries, such as Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Sudan, sharing the Gospel with a neighbour might mean punishment, imprisonment or even death. At times, I think, some of us in the UK Church can get a little stressed when we feel that doing anything to reach the lost might risk our convenience, comfort, or 'busy' schedules. Our challenge, together, is to embrace God's mission over our selfishness and put aside our fears and distractions.

When I have stepped out, I have discovered that the reward of partnering with God is worth the cost. I'm not sure I do this enough, and I want to do more. I hope we all recognise the same challenge – we can all do more. A Christian life is not primarily about us; it's about God's mission, which is scary but selfless.

If you're a Christian, can I ask you to take a moment to think back to your own salvation story? When did you hear about God's unrelenting love for you and the cost He paid to get you back? What if no one had gone out of their way to share the Gospel with you? What if they hadn't invited you to a local church gathering or a small group? How would you have known about Jesus and how He gave his life for you to find yours? What would your life be like now had you never heard and, therefore, never had an opportunity to believe.

In your life and mine, someone must have let go of their 'me' to make room for God's mission. Someone must have let go of their 'me' to teach or invite you to that Christian foundation class such as Alpha or Christianity Explored. Someone must have let go of their 'me' to serve at that youth or community event you were at, to welcome you into their home for dinner, to pray with you in a time of need – and that was the doorway for you to enter into an encounter with God.

We're surrounded by people who are living without God today. As believers, it's our
responsibility, privilege, and calling to pray for them to be saved, share with them, invite them to a local church gathering, and tell them our testimony of a real God who really loves us. You don't have to be a 'professional' minister or evangelist to tell someone what Jesus has done for you.

Ask God to open your eyes to see the people around you in life who need to know Him, who
need the hope that can only be found in Him. Then, start practising sharing your testimony with anyone who will hear it. Begin praying for those in your own family, workplace, and neighbourhood who you know need the gift of salvation. Pray to God for moments to allow you to share Jesus with them in an authentic way.
Then, take that moment when it comes.

By Mark Kelly

Stories Of Faith and Life