Being a Fool for God

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence." 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

For anyone following this blog, this is another barefoot running post (exit now if you wish). For anyone unfamiliar, I run barefoot, for reasons I won't completely get into but can be partly found here if you're interested: A Firm Foundation. 

One of the reasons (if not the main reason) I gave up barefoot running years ago was that I feared what people would think of me (when I think of the alternatives I tried, from sandals to socks with rubber sprayed on the bottom, honestly I wonder what I was embarrassed about!). But recently as I got into running again and tried yet more "minimalist" footwear, I perceived that, for whatever reason, this was something God was testing me on. 

We often think God will test us in something heroic where everyone will look and say: "wow, what a man (or woman) of God!" I don't know about you, but my experiences aren't like that. God seems to test me in (seemingly) ridiculous little things, where even those closest to you don't understand what you're up to. Thus, you end up being a "fool".

So off I went up the hill on my lunch run, sans shoes. To my surprise however, as my colleagues slowly found out, I got more respect and curiosity than mocking. So one lesson I've gleaned from the experience is that most of our fears are unfounded (we are entering into the winter, however, and the "feet shall hit the road" so to speak as I see the reactions as I continue into the cold weather!). 

Another result I've reaped in this endeavor (other than increasing fitness and sheer fun) is that I find I'm emboldened in my witness for Christ (i.e., if you can handle running past a crowd of people barefoot during a winter day you can certainly talk to people about God!) Actually I believe this to be the main reason God was testing me: to lose some of my inhibitions.
 
Let us be clear, we are not being fools for foolishness' sake, we are simply being obedient. Some will mock us to be sure: this has been promised us (see 2 Timothy 3:12). However, many will be attracted to our "foolishness", wondering what is behind it when they see our unconcern for what others think. Those who never let themselves become "foolish" for God will only have their "boast" in themselves, not in God. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to become fools for Your Name sake, that we may boast in You alone and attract others to You. Amen.