Last night during the Rahab study Nicole Johnson @nicolejohnsonla acted out a drama and in that drama she talk about some old raggedy shoes that she wore and she states this, “sometimes wearing our own shoes is unbearable.” Well this brought our group into a deep discussion and I brought up how social media isn’t helping this concept. In fact it’s truly hurting us and this is why.
You see, when we have shoes that don’t “fit” us anymore or we are wearing shoes that seem too unbearable to walk in, we tend to just throw them out and try and find a new, prettier pair that looks good on our feet, even if they don’t fit and are extremely uncomfortable. We desperately want those really sparkly red shoes that we can click our heels together and make a wish, clicking away out past; the hurts, the pain, the rejection and the labels that have been placed upon us.
In the book of Hebrews God tells us to run our race with our eyes upon Him. He doesn’t say run your race looking around to see whose life is better. He doesn’t say to run your race in someone else’s gifting or anointing and He doesn’t say to run your race squeezing our foot into someone else’s shoes as you will most likely trip, stumble and fall because reality is they were never designed to “fit” you in the first place.
What I absolutely love about this picture is that from a young age, we so often try on someone else’s shoes to see if they “fit.” We want to be able to walk in the person shoes that we love, admire and look up to. Some of us trek through life never finding the shoes that fit us best because we so often trash the shoes that have not only worn us out, but that have been worn out from all the ditches, wholes and bumps we have had to walk. You know, the ones that our toes are busting out of or the ones we try and replace because our shoes that look too dirty and we are embarrassed for anyone to see or think we have “dirty” shoes.
Y’all, before you toss your raggedy old shoes away and before try and find a brand pair of shoes that don’t have any scratches, holes, or wear and tear let God take out His shoe polish and clean up your shoes. Go into your closet and find those old ones that you have buried in the corner, you know the ones that seems unbearable to look at and walk in. Get them out and allow God to patch up, heal up and clean up what you thought looked too dirty and were soo eagerly to throw in the dumpster, into a pristine looking pair of shoes that you can once again wear with bold confidence and think to yourself, look at how pretty my shoes are. ..Trust me, God wants to lace up your shoes so securely that you can run your race with strength, perseverance and a bold confidence. He wants to take all the scuffs, scratches and holes that your “shoes” have endured and He wants to polish them up so well that you won’t be looking at someone’s else’s new shoes in envy, but others would get whiplash as they turn their heads and become locked in on your shoes because they see God’s healing, anointed and redemptive love shinning through each step that you take. So, wear your shoes with a bold confidence, no matter what they look like becasue He will give you the right shoes, in the right season to run your race wiith GOD speed.
Praying you can truly walk in the shoes He has sized up for YOUR feet, for YOUR journey to run YOUR race well. Praying today you don’t push aside or toss away those old shoes that look to dirty or worn out. Praying you put them on and allow God to re-lace them, polish them up and that you walk, skip and run in them again as you are released and set free from the wholes that ones had you embarrassed to wear them. God will give you that nice new pair of shoes you have been wanting, you just might need to sit on the ground with Him for awhile so she can teach you how navigate through the wooded trails so your shoes don’t fall apart again.
Love y’all and praying your through this day
Pslam 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.