Turn the Other Toe


I was walking down the stairs one Sunday morning into the baptistery after giving the final instructions to the baptismal candidates.  As I stepped down I was reminded of one more thing.  I turned and look back to tell them the step were really slippery so be careful as they came down....and there I went, down.  My foot had slipped on the stairs.  I knew better than to turn, talk, and try to step down into the water at the same time, but I was dumb and I paid the price for it.

We are headed into spring and many of us will be picking up sticks, maybe doing some digging and as the year goes on leaf pick up then shoveling snow.  Let me give you a few tips on how to save your back, knees and hip joints.  Simply put, you need to turn your toes.

1. Look where you want to go.
Turn your head first.  Make sure that where you want to turn is free from anything you could twist your ankle on or damage your knee with a misstep.

2. Turn on the heel while lifting the ball of the foot.
This is of major importance.  Lift up the ball of your foot, but do not bring your entire foot off the ground.  When turning, out of a chair, to move snow, whatever you are doing, you want to stay connected to the ground to help reduce potential slipping.

3. Set your foot down.
This seems simple.  Once you have turned, put your foot back all the way on the ground.

4. Shift your weight to be balanced.
With both feet on the ground, redistribute your weight between both legs.  Center your balance before making the next move.

A spiritual application:
Too often we are not looking to where we are going.  We may state we want a deeper relationship with Jesus, yet in order for that to happen we must look where we want to go.  Look to Jesus, He is the author and finisher of our faith.  Second, turn on your heel and move your foot.  Sometimes we need to change the direction that we are headed in because God is moving us in another way.  That first step can be very difficult and painful, however; when we step out on faith and put our foot down on the solid rock we can be certain that our balanced weight is always on a sure foundation.

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