I love shoes. All you have to do is look at my closet to see that. I love boots in the winter, strappy sandals in the summer, flip flops when I'm all casual, and pretty princess shoes when it is time to dress up. Frankly, I've rarely met a shoe I couldn't figure out a way to love.
When I was a little girl and got new shoes, I always slept with them. Yep, right there, on the bed, next to my pillow. That should have been a sign of the trouble ahead! I've even been known to buy a pair of shoes that I fell in love with and then had to go buy an outfit to wear with them.
Seriously...I love shoes.
When my daughter was a teenager and received any monetary gift, she would always ask me, "Can I go buy a pair of shoes?" Always.
And don't get either one of us started on the shoes they make for tiny tots these days! We've bought so many cute ones that my grandson is pretty enamored with shoes too. Evidently this shoe gene can be passed down to your offspring.
Photo Courtesy of Hannah Kallenbach
Moses had an interesting occurrence with shoes one day. In our reading today he comes across the burning bush and God tells him to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Thinking that was an odd request, I began to ponder why God asked Moses to remove those shoes. It occurred to me that Moses' shoes represented three things in his life.
First they represented the sin of the world. Unless you only wear your shoes inside, they get pretty dirty. We get pretty dirty living out here in the world sometimes too. Moses had sinned, just like we do. So he needed to get rid of sin to be able to step into the presence of God.
Moses' shoes also represented the tools of his trade. His shoes protected his feet in the hot desert. He had other tools that he used as a shepherd too. But when God called him into His service, Moses was going to need tools that he had never seen before. So he had to lay aside the tools he was used to using and allow God to supply all that he would need.
Finally, Moses' shoes represented his own ability and self-reliance. Moses had been a shepherd for a number of years. He knew his job and did it well. Now God was calling him to go places and do things that he would not be able to do in his own power. So he had to move out of his comfort zone and allow God to work through him.
This is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament, and not just because of the tie-in to shoes! It just really challenges me to examine my life for unconfessed sin, my reliance on God, and my acceptance of God's empowerment. Thankfully Moses didn't have the shoe gene. He readily took those shoes off and went where God told him to go.
And despite my strong shoe gene, I pray I will do the same thing.
- Holly Barrett
No comments:
Post a Comment