One of the millions of things that endears me even more to my precious two year old grandbaby is his love for shoes. He has loved shoes since he was old enough to visually track objects, and once he started developing hand-eye coordination, it quickly became hand-eye-shoe coordination. And he's not particular with whose shoes he wears; it doesn't matter the style or the size. He just likes to wear shoes. He doesn't have any particular reason for the shoes he chooses to wear; he doesn't even care much if they match or not. He's even been known to voice displeasure (ahhum....tantrum) if he has to take his shoes off before going to bed.
But we should choose the right shoes for the right occasion, shouldn't we?
The sixth chapter of Ephesians goes into great detail about putting on the whole armor of God, and specifically mentions the feet. My first thought is that if we're putting on armor, that usually indicates a battle, doesn't it? This has always made me uneasy in some ways, because I have never liked confrontation of any type; my second thought would be to choose running shoes, but that doesn't seem to go in line with what God is saying, does it? After all, there is no provision in this passage about protection for your back. But let's take a quick look at our shoe selection and see if we can somehow align our shoe choices with something that would put a smile of approval on God's face.
FLIP FLOPS:
These are my shoes of choice when I just want to be comfortable. I love early mornings when the house is quiet and the only sound is the perking coffee pot. (Yes, we still use a percolator.) It's my time for reading or writing or just sitting and thinking. And my shoes of choice? Flip flops, of course. I think that when we get to Heaven we'll have lots of flip flop opportunities. I would love to have early morning coffee with Eve and Mary, my momma, Facebook friends who read my blog, etc, etc. Flip flops just shout that you've given yourself permission to just sit back and let the worries of the world just wash away for even just a few minutes every now and then. We will be headed to the beach soon for what will probably be our last vacation, and you can be sure that the only shoes I pack will be my flip flops. Resting shoes. Happy shoes. Comfort shoes. Jesus has told us, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:28-30) I think Jesus was a fan of flip flops (or the ancient equivalent). And when He offers rest for my soul, I might just be wearing flip flops.
HIGH HEELS:
No female in the history of EVER has EVER chosen high heels as a shoe of comfort. (Ok, to be politically correct, I guess I need to include men in this scenario. But really???) If you want to just look good on the outside and feel good about your outward appearance, this is the shoe for you. And we do that with God sometimes, don't we? We show up for church and go through the motions, and it LOOKS LIKE we're doing what we should be doing. But does God care about what we look like on the outside? We all know the answer to that. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (I Peter 3:3-4)
RUNNING SHOES:
Are you just plain running away from God? I think we've all done that at one time or another too. But these running shoes should be worn for running TO God. When troubles come our way, as they always do, do we seek God first? When our heart is breaking, who do we turn to first? While it's good to have someone in our lives that we can talk to about our troubles and concerns, it's our Heavenly Father who yearns to hear from us. He loves us so much that He collects our tears in a bottle. He loves us so much that He died for us. Yet we still pick up those worn out, stinky running shoes and run a different direction. I wonder how that must make Him feel? I think the lyrics of this song says it best:
When you’re all out of heart and out of hope
And you don’t really know which way to go
Come on, come on, run to Jesus
If you’re lost and you don’t know where to start
It don’t really matter where you are
Come on, come on, come on, yeah, run to Jesus, run to Jesus
Do you know that your story
Starts and ends with mercy
And it’s waiting in His arms ‘
Cause He knows what you’re feeling
So don’t you stop believing
He’s got you right where you belong.
MUCK BOOTS:
Have you ever had to feed farm animals on a rainy day? You surely don't want to do that in flip flops, or high heels, or running shoes. It's just one of those unwritten laws that you have to wear muck boots for a situation such as this. So when we've got messy - really messy - situations in our lives, we'd better go ahead and put on those ugly, sturdy muck boots, because nothing else will get the job done. Not all sin looks dirty and muddy; if it did, that would change things tremendously, wouldn't it? No, sin usually looks quite lovely, a situation that might call for high heels. But we're just fooling ourselves with those heels. Our sins were dirty enough that Jesus Christ had to die because of them, all of them, even the sins that didn't seem "dirty". Every Christian should have a sturdy pair of muck boots sitting within reach. I think that when we repent, we need to be wearing those muck boots, because all sins are just dirty and nasty and bring pain and humiliation to our Lord. Don't show up in high heels, acting all pretty and lady-like, trying to walk around issues in our muddy hearts. Walk up to that Throne of Grace and repent for the things that are breaking God's heart, and then you can change back into flip flops as you leave with a clean heart.
COMBAT BOOTS:
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." I don't want to face Satan in flip flops or high heels, do you? Within that same passage in Ephesians, it also says, "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Somehow combat boots and peace don't seem to go together, but just think about what our military has to sacrifice every day to ensure our peace. When you see military personnel wearing their full attire, you know beyond a shadow of doubt that they are prepared. Ever see a soldier wearing high heels or flip flops? No, I didn't think so. It's no different with being a Christian, for the devil is fully prepared and ready to fight us every step of the way. Make sure you're wearing the whole armor, including the combat boots. But you know what I like best about all this talk of combat? Exodus 14:14 says, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." That doesn't mean we can stay home and not go to battle; we just have to show up and let God do what He does best.
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My husband's aunt passed away several years ago and the family was trying in vain to find a nice pair of her shoes to send to the funeral home for her last outfit on this earth. They went through several pairs, but couldn't find any that didn't have badly scuffed toes. Some were wondering why such nice shoes had such damaged toes, but for those of us who knew her well, it was quite obvious. Aunt Betty spent a lot of time on her knees in prayer. She didn't wear flip flops or high heels; she wore combat boots.
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So ... do you think it's time we did a little shoe shopping?
Thank you all so very much for taking the time to read my attempt at putting a few words together.
You are such a blessing to me!! May God bless YOU bunches!!