My grandbaby, Jaxon has recently discovered his toes.  With delight he grabs at his feet and then with the flexibility only a baby can muster at five months of age, he puts his big toe in his mouth and sucks contentedly.  When I laugh at his antics he smiles with his eyes up at me, but still keeps a firm grip on his toes.

My grandson has perfect feet.  I know, I know, I’m a biased grandma, I think everything about my grandbaby is perfect 🙂 but truly Jaxon’s feet are perfect.  They do not have the calluses or the scuffed heals yet.  His toenails are not jagged, there are no “hammer toes” in the bunch.  His toes are soft, kissable to me and apparently they must taste good to him.  There are no miles traveled on his feet yet, nor has he discovered a like or dislike for brand name footwear.  He wears the tiny shoes his mother puts on his perfect feet, but I suspect that he would rather go barefoot…easier to suck on his toes that way!

In the next few months Jaxon will discover that he can stand on his feet.  That his feet will bear his weight, and as we have warned his young mother repeatedly, once he discovers how fast his feet can move after that, her life will never be the same again.  He’ll put miles and miles on his feet (as will my daughter trying to keep up with him!)  He’ll discover that carpets are soft to walk on, but sharp rocks aren’t.  He’ll step on his first thistle, and feel the sting of his first stubbed toe, but knowing how determined he is even now as a baby, after the tears stop, he’ll be back on his feet and running again.

His feet won’t be as perfect once he starts using them every day to run, to dance, to climb, to explore, to swim, to play soccer, basketball or hockey.  As he grows, he’ll use his feet to walk places I may never see, go to places I may never go, and his feet will crack and bleed at times because even though his designer sneakers may protect his feet somewhat, the roads he might travel may be hard on his feet.  He’ll stumble, he’ll fall, and as much as his mother, father and, yes, grandma, might like to protect his perfect feet, sometimes he’ll trip up, and we won’t always be there to catch him.

Then there will come a day when Jaxon and everyone else around him will discover that his feet are beautiful again.  Oh sure, his feet may bear the scars, calluses and foot odour that comes from a lifetime of usage but with each footfall I pray his feet will always walk in service to the Lord.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

Prepare your feet for life’s journey, sweet Jaxon.  They are just perfect!