Dirty shoes. I have the distinct habit of choosing the wrong pair of footwear for the wrong occasion. With all of the pairs of shoes in my closet I repeatedly choose the wrong pair of shoes to wear.
Case in point Wednesday when I chose a cute pair of my favorite brand of shoes TOMS to wear for a day trip to the Biltmore. I was meeting my blogger friend Susi who blogs over at Susi Snaps. Susi and I have met IRL once before when Chris and I were in Boca Raton for a business trip. She is a wonderful person and since her family was vacationing in the mountains we made arrangements to meet at the Biltmore.
Enter the weather system that has apparently overtaken the country. Rain, rain and more rain. But we were still game and armed with raincoats and umbrellas we did our best to tour the gardens and see the Chihuly exhibit before she and her daughter toured the house.
I knew it was going to be a rainy mess so I decided against sandals which was one checkmark in my favor. However I chose a nice pair of WHITE shoes to wear and when I stepped out of the car I immediately knew it was not a good choice. Kind of like the time when I wore a pair of white TOMS while we were walking around the Bay of Fundy. Now those shoes were totally ruined. There was no bringing them back.
I came home and washed my shoes and while they aren’t perfect they are definitely cleaner than when I put them in the washing machine. And as is typical of me and my life I tried to make an object lesson from the dirty shoes.
Sometimes God asks us to get a little dirty for Him. Sometimes that means stepping out in places that are unknown or a little scary. I am not saying that going to the Biltmore is scary – far from it. But sometimes God asks us to get a little dirty for Him – to venture out of our own comfort zone and do something for Him that is just a little out of the ordinary for us. Kind of like what Bread of Life (our Comments for a Cause for August) does. The people involved with this ministry stepped up and out, saw a need and addressed it. It was something that took a lot of hard work and perseverance and perhaps they got a little dirty at the same time. But they are providing a service to folks now that really need it.
God is always teaching me lessons through simple things like dirty shoes. My shoes are cleaner now after being washed but they aren’t perfect. The experience of sloshing around at the Biltmore with Susi and Ashley will always be associated with those shoes and that is a good thing. It’s a good reminder of a fun day with friends.
Dirty shoes can be washed. God can also “wash” us and make us new in so many ways if we only allow Him the access. Just like my dirty white shoes I can be made clean again with the forgiveness of my Father. What a wonderful gift.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18 RSV
