Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely love shoes; CUTE shoes, that is. I like cute flats made of different materials and patterns, I love cool looking athletic shoes in bright colors, I love blingy sandals, spectacular stilettos with all the bells and whistles, and I even like unique flip flops. Yes, I am a shoe fanatic!
Now, this love for shoes doesn’t mean that I can wear them all. I used to wear high heals, then I went to lower heels and now I pretty much wear flats, for my safety and foot health. I notice a woman’s shoes before I pretty much notice anything else. It is also amusing to me when I see a young woman wear stilettos for the first time, looking like a newborn fawn. Don’t you think it is adorable when a toddler tries on Mommy’s high heals and tries to walk in them?
I am sure it is a billion dollar industry and with all the high heels being worn, I am also sure the podiatrists are loving it too! Not all shoes are good for us, even though they might look really good, right?
Everybody has their own taste and comfort level, so there is a huge variety of shoes, sandals, and boots made to accommodate every wish and any price. This reminds me of the endless types of walks of life in our world today. Whether we are poor, wealthy, from different countries, different colors of skin, religions, political views, or interests, we all are valuable to the Lord God. He made us, knows us, accepts us and loves us.
The challenge is how we accept and love others whose walk is different than our own. Sometimes, we can look at someone who is unique and walk in the other direction. Sometimes, we will stand up to them and their views and create a conflict. Sometimes, and this is what the Lord would have us do, we accept them for exactly who they are.
We don’t know what they have lived in their life. We don’t know what kind of family they had or have now. We don’t know their challenges and struggles. Only God sees them from the inside out and loves them just as much as He loves us. We are called to extend the arms of Jesus to everyone.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. ”
John 13:34,35
Let’s take the judgement out of our thinking and take the time to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” We might just find out that we can walk together, no matter what our shoes look like!