The other day, as I was taking inventory of all the clothes in my closet, I wondered why I felt the need to go shopping. I spotted a pair of shoes off to the side. I picked them up and examined them very closely. As I turned them every which way, I came to the immediate conclusion these were very, very cute shoes, maybe even adorable. They were fashionable and practically new.
As I examined them a bit closer, I noticed they had no scratches or scuffs. They were in beautiful shape and absolutely the perfect shoes for my favorite pair of jeans. I pulled them out of my closet, rolled up the cuffs of my jammies, and slipped them on. They were a perfect fit. As I admired them in the mirror, I wondered why I had set them aside. I simply couldn’t remember. Maybe I had been saving them for something special such as a particular event or a special outfit. Or perhaps I had been careless and hadn’t intentionally set them in the corner away from the others.
Whatever the case, I couldn’t remember. I left them on my feet for a few minutes as I grabbed my jeans and a cute top, kicking them off when I headed for the shower. I worked through my usual morning routine and put on my “new” shoes just before I headed out the door to work. They looked pretty fabulous… if I do say so myself. After a quick stop at the coffee shop, I headed to the office.
About two hours into my day, my feet were killing me. How could that be? I had been sitting at my desk working quietly, not running a marathon. About four hours into my day, my feet hurt so badly I had to kick my shoes off under my desk, only putting them back on if I had to walk out of my office. I dealt with the shoe issue for the rest of what felt like a very long day.
As soon as the clock struck five, I hobbled to my car. The shoes came off as soon as I sat down in the driver’s seat. I couldn’t get home fast enough to get some comfortable shoes on my aching feet.
When I limped into my house barefooted, nine hours after I had left for work, I had blisters the size of dimes on four of my toes! As my girls would say, my feet were “torn up.” I gingerly walked into my closet in search of some replacement foot apparel to hush the puppies. I thankfully found a pair of old, comfortable, worn tennis shoes that were sure to do the trick. However, as I put on my tried-and-true old faithfuls, my feet still hurt like heck. My feet were so sore I soon realized even flip-flops couldn’t ease the throbbing. All I could do was wrap my blisters in bandages and wait for my feet to heal.
As I was swapping bandages a few nights later, I thought about the similarities between the “cute shoes” and what we do with so many of the lessons we learn in our lives. I had completely forgotten why I had tossed those cute little shoes into the corner of my closet to begin with. I may have briefly considered the possibility that there might be a reason for them to have been separated from the rest, but I quickly discarded the thought with a quick rationalization that it couldn’t be that big a deal. They were just so cute.
Instead of taking time to figure out why the shoes were set aside, I was completely distracted by their charm and positive attributes. And how equally foolish of me it was to have kept them in the closet the last time I wore them, knowing the damage they would cause me. I should have protected myself against any possibility of having to learn that painful lesson again. The shoes hadn’t changed, nor had my feet. If I had permanently removed the shoes from my closet the first time I learned they were a bad choice, I would have spared myself the agony of relearning the lesson. I had put myself in a position of once again having to wait for my self-inflected wounds to heal.
The Bible tells us all kinds of stuff about being wise. Here are a couple of verses that simply tell it like it is.
Proverbs 14:33 says, “Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.”
And here’s another. Proverbs 14:16 says, “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”
Let’s continue to weed out our closets. Let’s not simply push aside the things that are harmful to us, but let’s ditch them altogether. Remember, if the shoe fits, wear it. If not, maybe it’s time to go shopping for something that’s a better fit after all.
Wishing you joy and peace,
Lorrie