“Pedicured” to have Hind’s Feet

As I went for my typical early morning run/walk, several doe
and about four buck graced my view for quite a spell.  Grazing quietly by the side of the dirt road
I trod, they looked up at me and stared, as If I were a parade going past – a
Peg-parade.  They didn’t bother to run
off (either I’m not very threatening, or they have learned to spot a hunter
with bow & arrow or gun – I imagine it’s the latter).  Their ears twitched; they looked back at one
another; and they went back to grazing. 
A little distance later, I turned and caught them bounding off, hopping
a barbed wire fence with effortless grace. 
That’s when the thought crossed my mind: 
I don’t just want beautiful feet,
I want deer’s feet.  Don’t’ get me
wrong.  I still want to be me.  I just want to be me with deer’s feet. 

Let me explain.  I
tend to be a bit unsteady on my feet. 
Those who traveled with us to Cuba in 2010 can attest to this when I
completely missed a step-down and bounced my head twice off a marble
floor.  Before that (on another walk), I
missed a step-up and broke my navicular
scaphoid (yes, if I’d been a horse, I’d have been shot-on-the-spot).  Before that, I was jumping with a weighted
rope, missed, and broke my ankle.  Before
that…well, you get the idea and don’t need a running list of my many mishaps.  The point is that deer have sure feet.  Steady feet. 
They not only hop over barriers as if they were little stones in a creek
bed, but they climb difficult places with great ease.  They go places where I would dare not even
try, but would love to go (there are exhilarating views in those places).  I want sure feet. 

After one of those mishaps where I broke something or other
(it may have been my head), one of my girls laughingly quoted me a Scripture
reference.  It’s found in Psalm 18.  Here’s what David said, “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high
places…  Thou dost enlarge my steps under
me, and my feet have not slipped (33, 36).” 
To this my funny girl-child said, “You must be doing something
wrong.”  Not fair! 

However, in every criticism there could be an element of
truth.  Here it is, spiritually speaking (this doesn’t help my physical
stumbling).   Here’s what David says in commentary to his
feet not slipping in the previous Psalm (17:5): 
“My steps have held fast to Thy
paths.  My feet have not slipped.”  Another psalmist used the same terminology
(Asaph in Psalm 73:2-3), “But as for me,
my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious
of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”  Both David and Asaph use the phrase in
connection with following after the Lord’s “way”…his path…an expression of
having sought God’s perspective to life issues and walking in obedience.  The result for them was an enlarged path and
feet that did not stumble (as in “sin”). 
Sure footedness, hind’s feet, are
assured as I keep walking with Jesus, and following Him in quick obedience. 

This doesn’t help my clumsiness; hence the reason for working
on balance with some yoga instruction; but it might help my spiritual
clumsiness. 

So, I’ll now add to my
spiritual pedicure, not just a readiness to go, but obedience in the
going.