New Shoes

New shoes. New shoes make me happy. Now, I'm not a shopaholic. I actually don't like shopping. However, I like new shoes. The shine. The way they sit on display just begging to be worn. "Try me, I'd add a little drama to a drab outfit," say the 4-inch stilettos. "How about me?" say the black ballet flats, "I'm a classic." The boots, the pumps, the pointy toes, the heels with strappy ankles. New shoes. I may only buy one pair every six months or so, but I love the way they look. The heel hasn't been worn down, the label inside is clean and perfect, no blemishes, just waiting to mold to my feet. Good shoes do that you know. Quality shoes mold to your feet as you wear them. You don't have to massage your feet every time you sit down.

I recently bought a new pair of shoes. They are red, peep toes with a 3-inch stiletto heel. Classic look with just a touch of pizazz. I started thinking how I felt trying on new shoes. They need to be a perfect fit. They can't rub wrong and if they're heels, they need to accentuate my calves just so. This got me thinking about God. When I put on new shoes or clothes recently purchased I feel refreshed, clean, new. Sometimes you even replace old items with the new. This led to my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22 - 24, and Ezekiel 36:26 - 27.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, it anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Ephesians 4:22 - 24
" You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Ezekiel 36:26 - 27
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

They all speak about being new. I made some big mistakes in my life. I've had the "blisters" to prove it. I have lived before with a "heart of stone." I was in a relationship in which I thought it was okay for him to treat me poorly, to put me down in front of his friends, to make me resent my parents' caring. He was a bad pair of shoes. However, instead of getting rid of him, I bought band-aids for the blisters. Cover them up. Hide the damage. Limp on. In your mind you think, "I made this purchase and now I'm stuck with it." NO YOU ARE NOT!!! God makes all things new! God's Spirit moves inside you, urges you to find better, trust Him, put off your old self, renew the attitude of your mind.

You, my dear friend, are created to be like God. God will bandage the blisters, but not so you can shove your feet back into the same old shoes, but in order for you to step proudly into that new pair. You are a new creation. I am a new creation. Wearing white on my wedding day? You bet I am! Because I am a new creation. The old has gone.

Maybe you are still stuck in the old. Maybe your blisters are fresh. Maybe they are just beginning. Perhaps they are already calloused. No matter where you are, God is there too. Loving, caring, crafting a perfect pair of shoes for you so that you may walk in His will and not that of your own or someone else's choosing. I'm not going to lie. There is cost involved, but they joy far outweighs the cost. Trust your path to His craftsmanship. Allow your feet of clay to be molded in His image. Smell the new leather, give yourself the OK and put on the new shoes. Stand tall, walk with strength, run and do not grow weary, traverse the path with Him.

Shoes grow old, go out of style, or simply get worn out. God never does. God will never give out on you. When you become a new creation you, like new shoes, become a magnet. People want to know what makes you special above the rest. You can proudly tell your story and how God can make anyone a new creation. NEVER settle for less than God's best. Satan is a deceiver, but God can shine His Truth into your life. He did it for me. He brought me out of bondage. He healed my blisters and made me a new creation.