Shake it off

In Matthew 10, Jesus instructs his disciples to go out.  He tells them to heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons, break the bonds of oppression - to give freely because they have freely received.  Jesus tells them to be among the people, in fact to stay in the homes of those willing to have them.  But he also tells them in many senses to not be bullies, to not be pushy, or demand that people believe like them or even that people receive them.  Jesus tells them that if they are not received with openness and peace, to shake the dust from their feet and move along. 

I have a feeling a lot of life is about learning to "shake the dust off your feet".

Not everyone will agree with you, not everyone will believe like you, not everyone will have the same ideologies, perhaps some will have none at all, but that doesn't mean it's our job to change those people.  And this isn't even about reaching the lost necessarily.  Jesus sent the disciples into the people of Israel, into their own people.  Reality is even other followers of Christ will be different than you. They will dress different. They will make different choices. Their interpretations will not sound the same as yours.  And you will have to learn how to shake the dust off your feet and love them anyways.

It's our duty to open ourselves to all and let those who are willing come close and for the rest we must learn to shake the dust off our feet. We each have a mission and passion, we must live from that. We must live from love.

There's an art to shaking the dust off our feet and still truly loving our neighbors at the same time. That's what we must learn because if we don't, the dust piles up and with it bitterness, hatred, arrogance and unforgiveness begin to rule our lives.  

So what does shaking the dust off your feet mean to you? How are you living this out?