Here is a story from Mathnawi, a monumental epic written by timeless Rumi (1207-1273).

One day, Moses heard a shepherd on the road praying,

God, where are you ? I want to help you tie your shoes and comb your hair. I want to wash your clothes and clean the lice off. I want to bring you milk , kiss your hands and feet when you go to bed. I want to sweep you room and keep it neat. Dear God, my sheep and goats are yours. When remembering you, all I can say is eyyyy and ahhhh.

Moses could no longer stand it and he intervened: “ Who are you talking to ? ”

“ The one who made us, and made the earth and the sky,” said the shepherd.

“ Don’t talk about shoes and socks with God! ” said Moses and continued : ” What more –what is this this with little hands and feet? Such blasphemy, it sounds like you are chatting with your uncle. Only something that grows needs milk. Only someone with feet needs shoes. Not God ! ”

Then the shepherd sighed, repented and tore his clothes off and wandered into the desert.

A sudden revelation came to Moses and he heard God’s voice:

You have seperated me from one of my own. Did you come as a prophet to unite or to sever?  I have given each being a seperate and unique way of seeing and knowing and saying. What seems wrong to you is right for him. What is poison to one is honey to someone else. One way of worshipping is not better or worse than the other. It is not me that the devotion glorifies, it is the devotee.  I look at the heart not the words spoken. The “wrong ” way he talks is worth hundred times more than the “right” way of others. Inside the Kaaba, it doen’t matter which direction you point your prayer rug! Love has no code. Only God there is.

God spoke of deeper mysteries to Moses…

Moses ran after the shepherd, following his footprints.

When he finally found him, Moses said: “I was wrong. God revealed me there are no rules for worship. Say whatever comes from your loving heart, your sweet blasphemy is the truest devotion.”

Whenever you praise or thank God, like this dear shepherd’s simplicity, when you eventually see through the veils how things really are, you will say “This is certainly not we thought it was ! ”

Excerpt from Reynold A. Nicholson’s translation of  Mathnawi