June 23, 2020
Have you ever worn a pair of shoes that hurt your feet? You know when you put them on that within five minutes, you will be in pain because they hurt you the last time you wore them. Some of us just have feet that hurt no matter what shoes we wear, so we just “get used to it” because shoes are required. (No shoes, no shirt, no service!) A few years ago, my husband wore some boots that he hadn’t worn in quite a while. By the time we got home, the man was nearly in tears. He kept saying all night that it felt like something was inside his boot, stabbing him, but he just “powered through” because, well, he had to wear shoes. This pain really interfered with his enjoyment of the occasion. When we got home, he hurried to take his boots off and made an amazing discovery. There were fish hooks in the toe of his boot… the treble kind, with three hooks on each one! There actually was something stabbing him all night! Apparently, he had been storing a little mini tackle box inside his boot in the closet, which he removed, but some hooks had “escaped” and fallen into the toe of the boot. If only he had removed the boot as soon as it started to hurt, he would have had a much more pleasant evening, but it never occurred to him that there was anything that he could do about the pain. He thought it was just “normal foot pain” or “uncomfortable boots”. How many of us walk around with painful or uncomfortable fear every day, but we are so used to it that we just keep powering through? We think that what we feel is normal or that there is nothing we can do about it. Fear comes in many varieties. Here are just a few. There’s “high heel fear” which is social anxiety. “Platform shoe fear” is being afraid of coming up short. “Athletic shoe fear” is always being ready to run away from the unknown. When facing obstacles that seem insurmountable, “hiking boot fear” is worn. “Rubber boot fear” makes us feel safe but is just masking our problem. Another fear that can sneak up on us is “flip flop fear”. This one seems so easy and care free, but it hurts later because we’re walking around on an unstable surface. Wouldn’t it be nice to just get rid of all the shoes that hurt our feet and wear our “house shoes” (slippers) all the time? I am not making fun of anyone’s fear, because it is not funny. We all worry, stress and feel afraid. God does not want this for us. He wants us to live life “bare footed” (without fear). For many of us, the first step to this is admitting that we are wearing fear and that it is causing us pain. Trusting God with our worries can help us remove fear when it hurts, or maybe not put it on in the first place. Deuteronomy 31:6 says: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 62:5-6 says: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Walk with God! Smile and be joyful!
Have you ever worn a pair of shoes that hurt your feet? You know when you put them on that within five minutes, you will be in pain because they hurt you the last time you wore them. Some of us just have feet that hurt no matter what shoes we wear, so we just “get used to it” because shoes are required. (No shoes, no shirt, no service!) A few years ago, my husband wore some boots that he hadn’t worn in quite a while. By the time we got home, the man was nearly in tears. He kept saying all night that it felt like something was inside his boot, stabbing him, but he just “powered through” because, well, he had to wear shoes. This pain really interfered with his enjoyment of the occasion. When we got home, he hurried to take his boots off and made an amazing discovery. There were fish hooks in the toe of his boot… the treble kind, with three hooks on each one! There actually was something stabbing him all night! Apparently, he had been storing a little mini tackle box inside his boot in the closet, which he removed, but some hooks had “escaped” and fallen into the toe of the boot. If only he had removed the boot as soon as it started to hurt, he would have had a much more pleasant evening, but it never occurred to him that there was anything that he could do about the pain. He thought it was just “normal foot pain” or “uncomfortable boots”. How many of us walk around with painful or uncomfortable fear every day, but we are so used to it that we just keep powering through? We think that what we feel is normal or that there is nothing we can do about it. Fear comes in many varieties. Here are just a few. There’s “high heel fear” which is social anxiety. “Platform shoe fear” is being afraid of coming up short. “Athletic shoe fear” is always being ready to run away from the unknown. When facing obstacles that seem insurmountable, “hiking boot fear” is worn. “Rubber boot fear” makes us feel safe but is just masking our problem. Another fear that can sneak up on us is “flip flop fear”. This one seems so easy and care free, but it hurts later because we’re walking around on an unstable surface. Wouldn’t it be nice to just get rid of all the shoes that hurt our feet and wear our “house shoes” (slippers) all the time? I am not making fun of anyone’s fear, because it is not funny. We all worry, stress and feel afraid. God does not want this for us. He wants us to live life “bare footed” (without fear). For many of us, the first step to this is admitting that we are wearing fear and that it is causing us pain. Trusting God with our worries can help us remove fear when it hurts, or maybe not put it on in the first place. Deuteronomy 31:6 says: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 62:5-6 says: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Walk with God! Smile and be joyful!
Comments
Post a Comment