February 18, 2026: Be Where Your Feet Are

Be Where Your Feet Are

Have you seen the recent new foods:

Pepsi tinged with Peeps Easter candy

Campbells Chunky Soup infused with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer

Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream 

Mountain Dew–flavored Doritos 

I mean, come on. I like creativity but those are just wrong. Let’s just go back to the basics. Now, Lent is all about returning to the basics of our faith. Jesus says it plainly in the gospel (which is the same we hear every year on Ash Wednesday). Jesus is inviting us back to the basic of our faith

Now, when I was Australia for my mini-sabbatical recently. I saw a shirt quite often that said, "Be where your feet are" It’s a mantra attributed to Australian professional basketball player Patrick Mills or Patty Mills as he is known. Mills has played in our NBA and is a big deal in Sydney. 

I like that phrase, “Be where your feet are.” It speaks of staying in the moment rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It serves as a reminder to make the most of the current situation. 

So in the gospel today, when Jesus invites us (or rather challenges us) to do three things: fasting, prayer and alms giving, a way to approach them . . . is to NOT make it complicated or fancy. Just start “where your feet are.”  

For example, in fasting we too often thinks its just about giving something up (e.g. candy, alcohol, screen time). Those are good things to give up, but the idea is to “give up” something to make more room for God. 

So how about start where you feet are at . . . and give up, impatience, or gossip, or worrying so much. Just be present right here and now and think what could you let go of to make more room for God in your life? 

Or with prayer, again this doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. You don’t need new and exotic forms of prayer, simple start where your feet are. It’s the ordinary stuff of your life that you can chat with God about. It doesn’t even have to big or heavy material, just be real. Be honest about what’s going on. Be authentic with God, don’t hold anything back . . . it’s OK to tell God of your anger, your fears, your worries, your joys, your delights. Perhaps a practice you can start (or get back to) is simply commit yourself to “check in with God every day.” And tell God ONE challenge of the past 24 hours and ONE blessing or good thing, 

And with alms giving. It’s simple, “be where your feet are.” Recognize how blessed you are, right here, right now. And recognize there are needs occurring all around us that need some financial support. Right now, what can you give. It’s not a suggestion from Jesus, it’s a mandate to take care of the poor. As you are doing your taxes, ask yourself, “have I really been giving away 10% of what I make?” And right here and now, with where your feet are, what is God asking you? 

Lent isn’t about doing great things. It’s about doing little things greatly, It’s about letting God meet us in ordinary places. So don’t worry about doing Lent “perfectly.” Just begin. Be present. And trust that God is already here — waiting for you — right where your feet are.