THE RIGHT PAIR OF SHOES
THE RIGHT PAIR OF SHOES
I used to be the type of girl that wore heels with everything. I have even been known to say that I was so comfortable in heels, I could climb a mountain. That was meant as a joke because those people who know me understand that there is a reason why my parents did not name me Grace. Although I love high heels and love the way they make me feel and look, I have taken some very hilarious and injury causing falls in them. I have fallen over curbs, on uneven sidewalks, crossing the road on a very busy intersection on the Vegas strip (I think they honked at me in jest but I took it as their way of encouraging me to get up and out of their way), out of an occupied elevator in a hotel in San Fransisco (thanks for laughing with me) and of course, those times when I was just walking across a room and didn't lift my foot high enough and caught the edge of the carpet. No need for talent ladies and gentlemen. I am entertainment in and of myself.
By contrast, my mother IS grace (maybe that's why I loved Grace Kelly so much growing up). She is beauty in motion, always put together, always with flawless makeup on and always carrying herself with dignity. She made walking in heels glamorous. Growing up I remember loving to look in her closet with all her wonderful high heeled shoes and trying them out for myself. I would walk in them across her room and into our hallway that had a full length mirror and stand in her shoes for hours admiring how grown up and sophisticated I looked in them; slowly, cautiously turning this way and that to every angle. I guess I didn't practice long enough. Today, I go around barefoot, in flip flops or my "Jesus sandals" as my kids call my Birkenstocks. I do it not only for my safety, but for those who happen to been around me. You're welcome.
There are several references to shoes in the Bible. In the old testament, if your husband died and his brother did not want to marry you, you could take off his shoe, throw it at him and spit in his face. Not that I would want to do this...but I wouldn't mind seeing it😂 Then there are those famous scripture where God met Moses at the burning bush and told him to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. But the one speaking to me recently is found in Ephesians 6:15. Here, Paul is talking to the Christians in Ephesus and he is telling them that they have to spiritually gear up because the biggest battle we face in life is not physical - it's spiritual. Starting in verse 13, it says "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as SHOES for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace." Ok. What the heck does that mean?
I did some research on this and found that since Paul was talking in battle terms, the Christians would understand the illustration he was pointing out. We all know that good shoes are a vital part of a soldiers uniform. If your feet are not protected, you are not going to be able to go far. Having the right shoes to protect their feet from the elements and walking long distances is important. The Roman army was the best at the time Paul was writing. The Romans ruled over them, so these people would know that he was talking about one of the most important qualities of a soldier's uniform; his shoes. The shoes that the soldiers wore were not the every day house wearing, market going shoes. They were specially made out of thick leather and heavy soles so that they would be sturdy for the miles the soldiers had to walk. But they also had hobnails hammered into the soles of the shoes so that not only would they have better grip to the ground when fighting in battle, but they were also a weapon themselves. If you got your enemy on the ground, you could inflict damage to them with your shoes.
Paul is telling us Christians that we should put the gospel of peace on our spiritual feet so that we are ready. What is the gospel of peace? It's the good news that Jesus saves! It is the good news that we can have peace with God by knowing Jesus and that He is on our side of the battle lines. Because of the confidence that we have in knowing Jesus as Savior, that helps us stand firm, rooted in our faith knowing that we have divine help and strength that comes our way when we face battles in our lives. We have got to be ready at all times to share this with others so that they too can have the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. What great comfort and peace comes from knowing that Jesus is with us, ready to help us at all times!
So for now, I am hanging up the heels, but daily seek the scriptures for my spiritual shoes. Thank God for His goodness to us in knowing just what we need to face the battles that come into our beautifully broken lives.
I used to be the type of girl that wore heels with everything. I have even been known to say that I was so comfortable in heels, I could climb a mountain. That was meant as a joke because those people who know me understand that there is a reason why my parents did not name me Grace. Although I love high heels and love the way they make me feel and look, I have taken some very hilarious and injury causing falls in them. I have fallen over curbs, on uneven sidewalks, crossing the road on a very busy intersection on the Vegas strip (I think they honked at me in jest but I took it as their way of encouraging me to get up and out of their way), out of an occupied elevator in a hotel in San Fransisco (thanks for laughing with me) and of course, those times when I was just walking across a room and didn't lift my foot high enough and caught the edge of the carpet. No need for talent ladies and gentlemen. I am entertainment in and of myself.
By contrast, my mother IS grace (maybe that's why I loved Grace Kelly so much growing up). She is beauty in motion, always put together, always with flawless makeup on and always carrying herself with dignity. She made walking in heels glamorous. Growing up I remember loving to look in her closet with all her wonderful high heeled shoes and trying them out for myself. I would walk in them across her room and into our hallway that had a full length mirror and stand in her shoes for hours admiring how grown up and sophisticated I looked in them; slowly, cautiously turning this way and that to every angle. I guess I didn't practice long enough. Today, I go around barefoot, in flip flops or my "Jesus sandals" as my kids call my Birkenstocks. I do it not only for my safety, but for those who happen to been around me. You're welcome.
There are several references to shoes in the Bible. In the old testament, if your husband died and his brother did not want to marry you, you could take off his shoe, throw it at him and spit in his face. Not that I would want to do this...but I wouldn't mind seeing it😂 Then there are those famous scripture where God met Moses at the burning bush and told him to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. But the one speaking to me recently is found in Ephesians 6:15. Here, Paul is talking to the Christians in Ephesus and he is telling them that they have to spiritually gear up because the biggest battle we face in life is not physical - it's spiritual. Starting in verse 13, it says "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as SHOES for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace." Ok. What the heck does that mean?
I did some research on this and found that since Paul was talking in battle terms, the Christians would understand the illustration he was pointing out. We all know that good shoes are a vital part of a soldiers uniform. If your feet are not protected, you are not going to be able to go far. Having the right shoes to protect their feet from the elements and walking long distances is important. The Roman army was the best at the time Paul was writing. The Romans ruled over them, so these people would know that he was talking about one of the most important qualities of a soldier's uniform; his shoes. The shoes that the soldiers wore were not the every day house wearing, market going shoes. They were specially made out of thick leather and heavy soles so that they would be sturdy for the miles the soldiers had to walk. But they also had hobnails hammered into the soles of the shoes so that not only would they have better grip to the ground when fighting in battle, but they were also a weapon themselves. If you got your enemy on the ground, you could inflict damage to them with your shoes.
Paul is telling us Christians that we should put the gospel of peace on our spiritual feet so that we are ready. What is the gospel of peace? It's the good news that Jesus saves! It is the good news that we can have peace with God by knowing Jesus and that He is on our side of the battle lines. Because of the confidence that we have in knowing Jesus as Savior, that helps us stand firm, rooted in our faith knowing that we have divine help and strength that comes our way when we face battles in our lives. We have got to be ready at all times to share this with others so that they too can have the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. What great comfort and peace comes from knowing that Jesus is with us, ready to help us at all times!
So for now, I am hanging up the heels, but daily seek the scriptures for my spiritual shoes. Thank God for His goodness to us in knowing just what we need to face the battles that come into our beautifully broken lives.
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