“Check it out, Mom. Look at the feet of those two boys in the front row. That always happened whenever we had a class picture.”
I scanned the shoes of my fourth-grade class. Sure enough, those two young lads were up on their toes so they looked taller. They weren’t happy to be in the short row.
There are lots of toes in any company or organization. New recruits are dipping their toes in the water, tentatively getting involved, hoping they will get a toehold and move forward in their career. When many are competing for the same position, they know they are blessed to get a toe in the door.
Those who are managers, directors, or teachers spend their time keeping people on their toes. We want to be sure they are staying focused and are actively included. We want to make sure they are alert and prepared to deal with anything unexpected that comes their way. And when necessary, leaders and parents need to go toe to toe with a wayward employee, student, or child.
If we want to be led without being hassled, we make sure we are staying on our toes. We toe the line to follow the rules and work with the program. We stick to what is expected of us and don’t stray into other areas we aren’t responsible for. We don’t disagree and cause problems.
That sounds pretty straightforward. But as we all know, leading and following don’t always go smoothly. Bosses can be demanding and downright cruel. Students, children, workers, and members of an organization can create all sorts of management issues when they are defiant or uncooperative. Busybodies create conflict when they stick their critical noses into someone else’s area. Job expectations might make us uneasy, especially if they go against our conscience.
What makes the difference in a workplace, classroom, church, organization, or family is how we are reacting to our Lord Jesus’ desire to keep us on our toes. He says to stay alert to the ways the world will try to stick its nose into areas that belong to Him. He wants to keep us focused on seeking His kingdom, not the things of this world (Matthew 6:19-34). He wants us to treat each other, no matter if we lead or follow, as His precious, important children. It’s how we lead or follow, without stepping on each others toes or heart, that makes all the difference.
While the Lord Jesus was here on this earth, He and the Pharisees had an ongoing dance, stepping on each other’s toes. Jesus had the authority and they didn’t want to admit it. He was stepping on their power and they didn’t like it (John 11:48). So they made a point of trying to step on His toes with their laws and demands.
Those Pharisees were constantly trying to catch Jesus and His disciples breaking the rules. Unlike the Ten Commandments, these were their own man made laws devised to keep themselves in control, to maintain their authority. They were listed in detail in their writings, those burdens that weighed people down that Jesus spoke against (Luke 11:46). But their unwritten rule about associating with sinners and tax collectors was the one our Lord Jesus was firmly against, the one he completely ignored. He gladly went toe to toe with those religious leaders and didn’t worry at all about stepping on their toes.
The mission given to us, to take the gospel to everyone in the world, sometimes involves stepping on toes, making people uncomfortable in order to get their attention. I’m not about to go to the evangelism lengths of the Apostle Paul who was regularly beaten and jailed for his aggressive stepping-on-toes with the gospel message. That makes my toes curl! But I’m not afraid to go toe to toe with those who need to understand who my Lord Jesus is and what He has done for them. I won’t apologize for making people uncomfortable if they are offended by my faith and my desire to reach their hearts.
All of our efforts to stand on our toes, trying to look taller in God’s eyes, won’t make a bit of difference. We don’t like to be short people… sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are “toes up” when it comes to our righteousness and we might as well admit it.
When we give up trying to make up for or correct our failures to measure up to the Lord’s expectations of perfection, that’s when the grace flows. Because when we admit we are weak, then our Lord Jesus pours in His almighty strength.
The best part of His grace is I don’t have to worry about getting a toe hold in heaven. I don’t have to try to get a toe in that door. That gate is wide open to the sight of my Lord Jesus welcoming me completely with open arms.
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Christine Vogelsang is a teacher, musician, pastor’s wife, and mother of three adult children. For almost forty years her family enjoyed the love of congregations in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Southern California. She has earned her master’s degree in education, taught at various schools (from kindergarten to college) and served as music director for twenty-five years at their last church.
While writing and speaking about the joy of being God’s child has always been a part of her life, it wasn’t until her weekly inspirational blogs (restoringthejoy.net) gained an international following that Christine decided to publish her first book. She has also written and produced three plays about people and events in the Gospels that bring these ancient stories to life.
Christine and her husband have retired from full time church work; however, her blog ministry continues to grow. She recently completed her Restoring the Joy: Leaving My Guilt at the Cross book series (available through Amazon) and is scheduling more speaking engagements that highlight her spiritual passion: joy without guilt!
