© 2006 SeanDietrich.com

THE BAREFOOT PARABLE
By Sean Dietrich

RUNNING BAREFOOT

There once was a man who liked to run
He ran through the village unshod
“You fool!” The people cried out at the man
“Wearing shoes is commanded by God!”

He ran in the streets, he ran over the hills
He even ran through the woods
He ran through the rain, he ran without shoes
The man ran wherever he could

One day on a run, he met up with a boy
Who was running along the road too
The boy’s feet were blistered and sore
Due to his stiff running shoes

“Hello there friend.” The barefoot man said
As he ran alongside the young one
“You would be more content if you took off your shoes”
“And run how you were created to run.”

“What can you mean?” The young boy replied
“I thought shoes were commanded by God.”
“I’ve never heard of running this way,”
“Won’t people think I am odd?”

“Don’t worry about them.” The barefoot man said
“Many of them are shoe-makers by trade.”
”They’ll mock you and joke, but don’t be provoked,”
“They are defending what their own hands have made.”

The boy took off his shoes right where he was
His feet were blistered and sore
He tossed his shoes in a wide-open field
“I don’t need these anymore.”

Running unshod was easy and free
With no shoes to get in the way
“I guess the man I met was right when he said”
“’We were created to run this way.’”

He ran and ran and the people did laugh
“What a foolish boy running around!”
”Put on your shoes!” The people cried out
As the young boy ran through the town


He answered them not as he passed them by
Until he was outside of town,
He met a boy who was close to his age
Who seemed to be rather down

“What is the matter?” The barefoot boy said
“You look so glum and depressed.”
”Its my shoes.” The other boy wept
“They keep me from running my best.”

“So take them off.” The barefoot boy replied
“Who said you need to wear shoes?”
So the boy who was crying uncovered his feet
And started to run barefoot too

The moral of this little story
Is really quite easy to see,
No matter what the villagers may say
Its more fun to run in bare feet.