I live with seasonal allergies. These allergies are irritated by dust especially from the earth. Even mowing the lawn triggers an allergic reaction of a "runny" nose and itching eyes.
How does dust affect you? Jesus told his disciples to get rid of dust.
Jesus Teaching
8"These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." Mark 6:8-11 TNIV Emphasis added.
What is this dust Jesus is speaking of? What does it mean to shake the dust off?
Jesus teaching about dust is given to his disciples as he sends them out to do ministry. Shaking the dust off is to be done in response to "any place that will not welcome or listen to you".
Relational Dust
It seems that these instructions are to be applied when the disciples experience the hurt of rejection and nonacceptance from those they are ministering to. Jesus knew that rejection and relational pain would collect like dust in their soul unless rooted out by forgiveness. This dust would keep them tied to their past relational failures and choke out their ability to rest in God, to live and minister fully surrendered to God's will in the situation.
How do I shake off this dust? Confession, forgiveness and surrender are the remedies. Letting go and letting God is a familiar phrase. For me this is much easier said than practiced.
How do I move forward without carrying hurts from my past? Do I allow this dust to insulate me from intimate relationships now and in the future? Shaking off the dust means forgiving and confidently trusting the past and the future to God. Someone told me recently that it is important to prepare for the future but let go of anticipating the future.
Recently I was reminded of a broken relationship in my past. I continue to pray for healing of this relationship. Is there more I can do to restore this relationship? Probably, yet at the same time I need to release, let go, shake the dust off and move on.
Reread the scripture again and ask yourself:
- What dust am I carrying from the past that God would like me to shake off?
- What is the role of forgiveness and surrender in shaking off this dust?
- Listen and write down anything you need to remember.
I believe "shaking off the dust" is how we keep bitterness from taking root in our hearts. See to...that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15 TNIV
Bitterness causes us to live in the past and the future but robs us of the joy of living in the moment-basking in God's love and forgiveness.
Copyright © 2011 Stanley J Troyer & CRM
