Finding the Right Shoe
Here lately, there has been a lot of change in my life (those of you who read my stuff know what I’m talking about), and I’ve come to a simple realization.
You can’t make the wrong shoe fit.
It doesn’t matter how much you like it, how much you want it, or how much you’re willing to sacrifice for it – if it doesn’t fit, it’s not the right one.
But sometimes you ignore the obvious – the warnings that the shoe in your hands will never fit your foot – and you try to cram it on anyway; you twist and grunt and use shoe-horns and stomp your feet and curse and yell until you finally manage to get it on.
But it still doesn’t fit.
And the next thing you know, your poor foot is a battered, bruised, bloody, blistered mess, all because you tried to force yourself to wear the wrong shoe. And then you’re left with the voice in the back of your head, taunting you with that one little, infuriating question- was it really worth it? What did you gain from wearing such a shoe? Was wearing the wrong shoe really worth all the pain and suffering, all the hurt and the scars?
Some would say yes. For the sake of appearance, they would sacrifice themselves all to keep up the facade, the illusion that it fits and that everything is okay.
But it’s not okay.
It still doesn’t fit.
And lately, I’ve discovered that some shoes I have wanted in the past didn’t really fit, I just tried to make them work out. But, in the end, the only good that came from that was a blistered foot.
So, what’s the point of this slightly-vague, metaphorical post?
Recognize the warnings. God places those convictions on us for a reason. Don’t try to force something to work – be it a shoe, a friendship, a situation, or a relationship – it’s just not going to work. I believe in a providential God, and I believe that all things happen for a reason. I believe He brings certain things into our lives to make us better people, to strengthen us in Him, but we have to trust in Him. That is the key. We have to trust that He knows best, even when we think things are bad. Even when we discover that our feet have grown too big for our favorite shoes. Because He’ll lead us to find the right pair. We just have to keep leaning on Him.
~*~
“The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”
~ Psalm 34:22
Excellent post! This resonates with me in such a profound way. Thanks for sharing! God bless you…
October 11, 2011 at 10:12 pm
You’re welcome! And thank you! Glad it touched someone. :)
October 11, 2011 at 10:19 pm
OH MY GOODNESS!! this makes me uber excited because I have a show analogy too :) When I went to get my first pair of Real running shoes, I went to Run On and asked to be fitted…the guy sized my foot, inspected what type of foot I had, watched me walk, and explained what I should be looking for. He informed me he’d go and grab a few pairs of different brands. I looked at me seriously baffled, and asked, “If they’re all the same ‘type’ of shoe, how on earth will I know which is ‘the one’?!” Oh, the great philosophical question….. He had a bit of a grin on his face and replied, “Oh, you’ll just know…trust me.” I looked at him skeptically and replied, “Really?…” He said “yes, it sounds strange, but you’ll just know” and went off to bring back the shoes.
When he came back with three different brands, I tried them on…walked around, jogged around, moved my foot around in them…they all felt good, but I found that the Nike brand in particular felt the best. I was quite settled. I LOVE Nike! I wanted Nike shoes! And the color was super cute and exactly what I had wanted coming in. During our conversation, I had told the salesperson that my dad had recently bought a pair of Mizunos and loved them, so after I’d settled on the Nikes, he goes, “Let me go grab you a pair of Mizunos and see what you think.” I said fine, but in my head was like “Ehhh…I want these Nikes, but I’ll play along.”
He brought them out, and I, quite unconvinced, pulled them on…and something very odd happened…they Fit. As in, they felt perfect…it felt as if my feet were being gently hugged and held and this sense of knowing washed over me – these were the shoes! But just to play it safe…I pulled on the Nikes one last time. But strangely enough, the shoes that before had felt so great, that I had been so convinced about, that I had my heart set on….felt absolutely terrible compared the Mizunos…I realized how much they actually hurt my foot in comparison.
Who would have thought such wisdom could be gleaned from a shoe saleman?
October 11, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Hahahaha! I LOVE this comment!!! This could be a blog post in and of itself! Thank you for sharing! Totally relevant! :)
October 11, 2011 at 10:27 pm
I might blog it sometime :) I’ve told the story so many times….the encounter was definitely a God-thing!
October 11, 2011 at 10:33 pm
You should! And it definitely sounds like it. And kudos to you for recognizing it as a God-thing!
October 11, 2011 at 10:34 pm
I don’t know about the God bit but I like your analogy about the shoe: I felt that the blog just had to be mataphorical to justift being posted but you did it in a clever apt manner. good one :)
October 11, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Thank you, John Malone! And thanks for stopping by! :)
October 11, 2011 at 11:05 pm
There is so much truth in this. I am also in a time of my life where I am changing and growing into the person I am meant to be. Trying to find “the shoe that fits” I guess you could say.
October 11, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Sounds like you and I are in the same boat, then, Therese (forgive my lack of accent marks). Glad you could relate, and thanks for stopping by! Feel free to take a look around. :)
October 11, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Shoe freak here!
Everything here is oh so true, and well put. It’s so hard to believe that what our hearts get set on might ever pale compared to what is really meant for us! Because we just want it so much. My patience and trust seem to be tested all the time with this.
Thanks for sharing-
Pearl
October 12, 2011 at 3:25 am
Nice to see you again, Pearl!
So very true – and sometimes it’s just so hard to wait for the right fit! But it’ll happen when it’s meant to happen. Just gotta have faith. ;)
And thanks for commenting!
October 12, 2011 at 10:18 am
A few silly things…
1. *simple realization ;)
2. Wow. I don’t even remember the last time I heard the word “shoe-horn.” Is that a… your… area thing? (Don’t know how discreet you want to be about location on your blog.)
3. I’m totally making a blog response to this because my number 3 ended up being way too long. :P
October 12, 2011 at 3:32 am
1. Typo corrected. :P
2. Hahahahaha! Seriously?! Wow. I suppose it is a southern thing. ;P
3. Whhhaaa?! *runs to go looks*
October 12, 2011 at 10:15 am
Bethie, I think it might be a dress shoe thing…maybe more for men! I know my dad and brothers always use them, and they are not Northerners.
Tim, like always, wonderful! And it’s such a difficult realization to come to.
October 12, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Yeah, it’s a common term. I was watching an interview today featuring Matt Smith, and he mentioned shoe-horns. :P
Thank you, Lara! It really is. But once you do come to it, it’s like this burden comes off your shoulders.
October 12, 2011 at 11:25 pm
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