It’s All About The Shoes!?!
I looked down at the floor as we began to pray for the service that was about to start. Around me stood leadership staff and volunteers of all ages ready to serve. Everyone was dressed in casual plain clothes, nothing unusual. What did stand out to me were the SHOES. There was nothing casual or plain about the SHOES. Sparkling, glittering shoes, red shoes, expensive-looking men’s leather shoes, short suede boots, all types of sneakers and colors, pumps with bows, pumps without bows, slip-ons, loafers, tall leather boots, etc.? ? ? ? IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE SHOES! Each pair of shoes seemed to be an expression of the personality of the person wearing them. Thinking about shoes reminded me of my time spent in Guatemala, with my family, working as missionaries.
I remember so clearly running through the jungle of Guatemala, barefoot, with my 4-year-old in my arms, pursued by thieves. In the days that followed my rescue, my heart ached to give every barefoot person a pair of shoes. ? ? ? ? Any kind of shoes. I had so many sitting in my closet unused. For shoes can bring protection, relief, and comfort to tired, sore feet. But, is it all about the shoes?
My thoughts quickly went to a time when we traveled to the Guatemala City dump where 8,000 people scratch out a living. At the dump we distributed food. Our goal was to share the love of Christ with the children and their families through puppets, songs, gifts, and fun games. Before we left the dump the team had given away all their shoes, one thing we had not planned on doing. After lots of hugs and good-byes, everyone returned to the bus, barefoot. Shoes aren’t anything without feet to put them on, but they’re everything to those who do not have any. On that day the simple act of giving away our shoes provided an opportunity to share the love of Christ!
So, is it really about the shoes? When entering God’s presence, the Lord told Moses to remove his shoes and to stand barefoot before the burning bush.
Then the Lord said to him, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Acts 7:33
In the story of the Wizard Of Oz, when Dorothy clicks her heels together, her magical shoes transport her home to the place of her heart’s desire. But in the real world, it’s not where your cool shoes can take you, but rather where your feet can take your shoes? While your shoes serve a practical purpose, your feet are what it’s all about.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” In Romans 10:14-15
So, whether you are wearing leather wing-tipped dress shoes or flip flops, where have your feet taken you?!
I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to serve in missions and travel to places where there are those who have not heard of the love of God. And I am thankful to be a part of the team at Builders International.
TOGETHER WE BUILD HOPE!
Deborah Sims