A couple years before, I’d bought two pairs of sandals – one black and one bronze coloured. They’d been on sale, a BOGO sale…Buy One Get One half off. At that time I never would have imagined that one of these sandals would pull me through three years of semi bare footedness.
God is so good, He always gives you more than you expect!
But let us not lose sight of the lesson here, for it is not in the shoes themselves but rather the blessings that they represent.
You see, somewhat inexplicably, one after another, all my shoes became unwearable. If it wasn't broken heals, it was dry rot, and after just a few months, even my new pair of bronze sandals fell victim to the destruction. The straps of the bronze pair burst and so I was left with the black.
I’d always been a lover of shoes and there was a time in my life when I’d amassed so many pairs of shoes that I was forced to store them in labeled boxes. A sort of fixed asset register of shoes. But how times had changed. To own so many shoes was no longer a priority but to own just one pair of inexpensive sandals was never where I thought I’d end up either.
I wore those sandals everywhere and on every occasion. I now had “tan lines” as evidence of our intimate relationship. I imagined myself a sojourning Israelite and every morning, as I placed my feet into the sandals I would say,
“Father, I thank You that as You lead me through this period of wilderness, my sandals do not wear out and my feet do not swell.” (Deuteronomy 29:5 and 8:4)
Each morning for three years I repeated that same prayer. Then one day, sometime earlier this year, while scouring Facebook, I came across a post by one of my nieces who lives in the British Virgin Island of Tortola. She was selling a pair of shoes and that prompted me to ask her if she purchased her shoes online or during her many travels. Her answer was the latter.
“… because”, she explained, “I’m sure of a better fit in person.” Yet still she went on to tell me of websites I could go to if I was interested in purchasing. I told her that I couldn’t afford to at this time. After the briefest pause, she then offered to purchase whatever shoes I chose. Needless to say I was flabbergasted. My eyes overflowed with tears which I quickly wiped away as I hurriedly logged onto the sites she suggested, lest she should change her mind. Every pair of shoes on those sites cost upwards of $40.00. Nope…that would not be economically prudent, since she’d given me a budget of US$120.00. On to amazon.com.
What a windfall! I chose five pairs of shoes/sandals/slippers totaling US$119.35. Now...if I could just find a pair on sale for sixty five cents. I sent her my choices. When the package arrived, there were six pairs. And they all fit perfectly.
I’d always been a lover of shoes and there was a time in my life when I’d amassed so many pairs of shoes that I was forced to store them in labeled boxes. A sort of fixed asset register of shoes. But how times had changed. To own so many shoes was no longer a priority but to own just one pair of inexpensive sandals was never where I thought I’d end up either.
I wore those sandals everywhere and on every occasion. I now had “tan lines” as evidence of our intimate relationship. I imagined myself a sojourning Israelite and every morning, as I placed my feet into the sandals I would say,
“Father, I thank You that as You lead me through this period of wilderness, my sandals do not wear out and my feet do not swell.” (Deuteronomy 29:5 and 8:4)
Each morning for three years I repeated that same prayer. Then one day, sometime earlier this year, while scouring Facebook, I came across a post by one of my nieces who lives in the British Virgin Island of Tortola. She was selling a pair of shoes and that prompted me to ask her if she purchased her shoes online or during her many travels. Her answer was the latter.
“… because”, she explained, “I’m sure of a better fit in person.” Yet still she went on to tell me of websites I could go to if I was interested in purchasing. I told her that I couldn’t afford to at this time. After the briefest pause, she then offered to purchase whatever shoes I chose. Needless to say I was flabbergasted. My eyes overflowed with tears which I quickly wiped away as I hurriedly logged onto the sites she suggested, lest she should change her mind. Every pair of shoes on those sites cost upwards of $40.00. Nope…that would not be economically prudent, since she’d given me a budget of US$120.00. On to amazon.com.
What a windfall! I chose five pairs of shoes/sandals/slippers totaling US$119.35. Now...if I could just find a pair on sale for sixty five cents. I sent her my choices. When the package arrived, there were six pairs. And they all fit perfectly.
In the meanwhile, my sister had come across a box of new shoes she’d somehow forgotten about after moving back home from Canada, five years ago. But what’s even more surprising, and most curious, they were all my size. She promptly telephoned me to collect this suddenly discovered treasure trove of shoes.
God is so good, He always gives you more than you expect!
But let us not lose sight of the lesson here, for it is not in the shoes themselves but rather the blessings that they represent.
It’s always amazing to me how God works His purposes out in our lives. The ways He chooses to deliver His blessings to us. God is well aware of all our needs and He has His own means of ensuring that those needs are met.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8 (NLT)
During that sojourn, there was lack but I neither complained nor murmured about what I didn’t have. Instead I thanked and praised God every day for what I did have.
“…stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening.” 1 Chronicles 23:30 (NKJV)
Amen†
Blessings of Shoes Shelley Johnson 02-Sep-2015
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