Barefoot

Mystery's Voice

Barefoot

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Barefoot

Peaceful and Free

Cindy MacGregor

Jan 11, 2026

Children love to go without shoes; most adult feet are trapped in shoes almost all day. Are your feet imprisoned? Or are they barefoot, peaceful and free? As I focus on having more peace in the new year, please join me as that focus starts with feet.

Note. This image was created by Microsoft Copilot.

My Mysterious Mind

I’ve been thinking about my feet and how I rarely go barefoot. I loved going without shoes as a child. I remember declaring one childhood summer as “Freedom For Feet,” or “FFF” and pledged to walk without shoes as much as possible. My sister and one of my cousins made the same vow. Our feet became adjusted, i.e., calloused, enough to walk on gravel without grimacing. I remember the joy of dried mud that had curled at the edges but crushed easily under my feet.

Somewhere along the passing of the decades I exchanged bare feet for a minimum of slippers with arch support inserts. I no longer feel the surfaces of carpet or earth beneath my feet, just the inside of shoes. My feet were often free during childhood; now they are typically enslaved. I suppose this is the normal progression of things and the aging of feet; but pondering it makes me a bit sad. Or maybe just nostalgic.

Our grandchildren love to go outside, succumbing to shoe-wearing only if required by adults. During the years between that barefoot child I used to be and the shoe-demanding adult I am now, I lost the sense of freedom and peace of that FFF pledge. When my children were still little, a neighbor girl used to visit, walking barefoot from her house to ours. I insisted she not return unless she was wearing shoes. She liked showing up at our home just before dinner and my directive forced her into the enslavement of shoes, at least until she got through the front door. Why did shoes become so vital to me?

The innocence of childhood is replaced with the responsibility of adulthood. Carefree bare feet are incarcerated by insistent grown-ups; safety is the usual reason given. Perhaps the burden of being an adult could be lighter if the feet enjoyed less time in prison? Consider how often you are barefoot. Becoming more peaceful and free might start by releasing our feet from the traps called shoes.

Message of Mystery Acres

Even in the forest my feet are held captive. The rocky soil is painful to my unprotected feet. I heard that making direct contact with the earth, or “earthing,” is healthy. Feeling grass under one’s feet or touching the earth provides a sense of connection or grounding. I don’t buy into the electrical conductivity theory; somehow, we are blocking the flow of energy from the soil by wearing shoes? Yeah, that’s just weird.

The same article I linked here to provide information about benefits also lists the dangers of going without shoes. I was just thinking about rocks and broken glass, but there are other warnings to consider. Some people balance better with footwear. Shoes can also provide a barrier of protection for allergen exposure. Given my allergic reaction to poison ivy, I would be wise to wear shoes and probably socks in the forest.

I used to watch a show called “Dual Survival.” Two men would be delivered by helicopter to a remote location and then self-rescue. During one era of the show, the pair included a survival expert who hadn’t worn shoes in many years. He was known as the “desert hippie.” It was the source of much conflict with his military-boot-wearing partner because the two had to move MUCH more slowly when traveling together. When they had to survive harsh, freezing temperatures, the desert hippie wore thick wool socks. In all other settings, he was completely barefoot.

It was a curious way to approach life, especially survival in unknown terrain. He claimed it helped him be more aware of his surroundings and move with greater intention. His survival partner couldn’t handle it after a while and left the show, replaced by another shoe-wearer. Shortly thereafter, the desert hippie walked away from the series. It probably wasn’t safe for him to run. LOL.

From the article about earthing I found a way to feel natural terrain without risk of injury to bare feet. I could sit in a chair and just put my feet lightly on the grass or ground. This would also work on various manmade surfaces such as concrete or wooden decking. Sitting while “earthing” would also provide for deeper relaxation; it could be combined with listening to nature’s sounds and watching natural beauty. I think I’ll use this approach, at least until I find a lush grass path on which to walk.

The message of Mystery Acres implores us to set our senses free in nature, finding peace nearby, starting with our feet. Usually enslaved in socks and shoes, our naked feet can be the foundation for setting ourselves free and finding peace. The forest dares us to go barefoot, even if sitting safely in a lawn chair.

Ancient Mystery’s Voice

“Remove your sandals because you are standing on holy ground.” (see Exodus 3:5)

A strange story from the book of Exodus is what got me thinking about going barefoot. Moses was tending sheep when he saw a bush that was burning but not burning up. As he approached for a better view, God told him not to come any closer unless he was barefoot. Understanding this demand requires looking back to the first shoes.

After Adam and Eve broke God’s only rule, eating of the off-limits fruit tree, they felt naked and exposed. First, they hid from God and made clothes of fig leaves. Their second clothing was provided by God through the killing of animals, specifically “garments of skin” (see Genesis 3:21). Not precisely described, it seems like this animal-hide wardrobe included footwear because the ground now grew thorned plants (see Genesis 3:18). Fast-forward to Moses and it is probable that his feet were adorned with the skin of dead animals when he came near the burning-non-burning-bush.

And therein lies the problem. The holy presence of God cannot coexist with what is sinful or dead. Death is the result of sin, which started with that first offense by Adam and Eve. That offense, known as sin, made the first humans and all humans thereafter no longer holy. Humans were made to be holy and continuously in God’s presence. Rebellion against God destroyed that arrangement, bringing death and danger into creation.

At that weird burning bush, God invited Moses to draw closer to His presence but only after removing what was dead. Those shoes of animal skin could not be worn within a holy place. Ancient priests, following the precedent set by God with Moses, are believed to have served without shoes when ministering in God’s tabernacle. This is especially likely when the High Priest, once a year, entered the Holy of Holies wherein the presence of God resided. This priest was required to wash his feet before entering, which would have meant taking off his dirty shoes and leaving them outside the veil enclosing the presence of God.

That veil in the Jerusalem temple, which was several inches thick, tore from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross nearby. That man’s bare feet were nailed to a vertical beam as part of his death sentence, which was actually our death sentence. As the barrier to the presence of God was torn apart, Jesus entered death without shoes. Because of His payment of our death sentence, one He didn’t owe because He had never sinned, the barrier between holy God and unholy people was removed.

It’s impossible for us to imagine the difference between life for Moses and the life we can now know because of Jesus. Before Jesus, the presence of God was limited in its availability among an unholy people. After Jesus, those whose hearts are open to Him have God’s holy presence inside of them. Believers, and their feet, are standing on holy ground all the time. Peace is here, where I stand. If I am not experiencing that peace, it’s because I am distracted.

Ancient Mystery’s Voice invites us to take off our shoes and remember we are standing on holy ground. Perhaps being literally barefoot would help us remember and thereby know the peace of God’s presence.

Living in Mystery

What does it mean to live in the mystery of being barefoot, with feet that are peaceful and free? It starts with thinking about our feet and expanding our awareness of where they are and what they are touching. Are your feet in need of TLC? I know mine are. Are your feet trapped in shoes? Consider setting them free. What does the skin on your feet tell you about the surfaces it touches? Focus on the sensory information flowing into you from your feet.

Look at baby feet. Remember the innocence of bare feet, free and at peace. If you are already a lover of going barefoot, celebrate that freedom! If you seldom go without shoes, try it today. Maybe not in restaurants and public places where shoes are required. It’s fine to just go barefoot in the privacy of your home.

Try grounding yourself by literally putting your shoe-free feet onto the ground. It’s acceptable to sit in a chair if that’s more comfortable to you. Imagine roots anchoring your feet to the earth. Allow yourself to feel secure and stable, with abundance flowing into you from below. Animals and plants don’t wear shoes. Ponder how free they are.

Remember the feet of Jesus. He walked here on the ground among humans. His bare feet bled and died here. After His resurrection, He visited the disciples and told them to look at His feet so they could see the nail marks. He wasn’t hiding his feet or their scars with shoes. I fully expect to see Jesus going barefoot when He returns to show His followers the way home.

Do you want to experience more freedom and peace? Start by learning from your bare feet. Children know the joy of going barefoot; noticing their joy can remind us to reclaim the freedom and peace of not wearing shoes. Nature beckons us to remember to be carefree and touch grass with our feet. Furthermore, because of Jesus, all ground can be holy ground, spaces where we can experience the presence of our holy God. That presence, like the earth beneath a plant, can provide all that we need to feel safe and whole. Our feet, set free from shoes, can help us stand in places of peace.

Connecting with Mystery

Dear Lord of All Mystery, thank You for using Your feet to bring life to me. Help me to remember the freedom and peace provided to me by Your sacrifice. Remind me to enjoy Your creation through my feet and that holy ground is beneath me now. I stand on my feet in awe of Your feet. Amen.