Cheap Shoes but an Authentic Heart

You know the feeling of when the alarm goes off and you are pretty much woken up out of a dead man’s sleep?

Well, that was not my experience this morning.

This morning the alarm went off and I felt like I had already been awake for a few hours. Blessings be upon my husband, every morning before he leaves for work, he turns on the light next to my side of the bed. He does this at my request mind you because it helps me get up and out of bed, well, that alone did not work this morning.

I hit snooze several times until my Beloved attempted woke me up with a little reminder...

“We are suppose to talk this morning”….

Opps, and as sad as it may be I hit snooze one more time and rolled over.

I eventually woke up 40 minutes past my first alarm and about an hour past when the light went on. Needless to say, I was richly blessed this morning. You see, my Beloved made time stand still. Oh it was a miracle.

I woke up at twenty till seven. I was suprised to know that I still had time to spend quality time with Him... we talked, I listened and then we embraced with a praise song.

I had time to do my hair, make up, get dressed, and I even got my son out of bed, dressed and in the car. Did I mention I also had time to let the dog out so she could do her thing? Seriously – He made time stand still.

I was early to daycare at Ms. Pam's, we had time to talk and then it was off to work…

Praises Be – He is good to me. Far better than I deserve.

So, while I lay at His feet this morning. We talked about Luke 12: 1-34.

Something struck me. You see, today I decided to wear cheap paten leather shoes with a silver buckle on the toe. They have the appearance of being something expensive, they are sassy, yet reserved, they are comfortable and cute, but most of all, they have a meaning behind them.

Yep, my shoes have a theological meaning behind them. So when we started our conversation in Luke today, we started talking about hypocrisy, and it was then that I knew exactly which pair of shoes I wanted to wear this morning.

According to Wikipedia, hypocrisy means acting in a manner contradictory to one’s professed beliefs and feelings, or conversely, expressing false beliefs and opinions to conceal one’s real feelings or motives. The term hypocrisy is often used in a religious context to refer to someone who gives a false appearance of virture or religion, or does not “practice what he or she preaches."

My shoes today, are a perfect example of this very definition. They appear to be something other than they really are… which is why I chose to wear them.

I want the constant reminder to walk with me through the day. I want to remember who I am and who matters the most, I do not want to reflect something that is anything other than the real thing, I want to be proud of my Beloved.

In the beginning of our conversation, Jesus is with his disciples. He wants to teach them something. He wants them to know that they must trust God and realize that they are accountable to Him. The essence of discipleship is fearing God and putting Him first. To share God’s priorities is the disciples’ call. To learn from God means to follow Him. You can sum it up in 5 simple words: Fear God and Confess Jesus. While I read the words of Luke, I was amazed that in the midst of growing crowds and official opposition Jesus issues a warning. The setting of his words is not insignificant. Even though people are practically crawling over one another to get to Jesus, the disciples should not be fooled by current popularity and should recall the level of opposition Jesus has faced. Popularity can breed a desire to remain popular and thus to soften the hard truth of our sinfulness before God.

And then, the truth came… Hypocrisy will not work, because everything is revealed before God. The secrets of people’s hearts will be revealed (Rom 2:15; 1 Cor 4:5). God’s omniscience means that there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. This includes words said in the dark or whispered in private rooms. In the time of Luke, a private room (tameion) was the innermost apartment in a house. So even things said deep within one’s home and mind are known to God.

Even these things will be proclaimed from the housetops one day. What is done in the basement will be revealed on mountaintops. The walls we build up, the clothes we buy, the cheap yet expensive looking shoes we purchase, all are to protect our psyche and rationalize our behavior, but none can be kept form the eyes of God. And the most amazing thing about it all, He loves me regardless of what He sees. He makes time stand still for His daughter who just needed forty more minutes of pillow time. He blesses me with His peace even when I stress over the silly things. He died for me, knowing I would screw up His plan from time to time.

Nothing is better than that, not even comfortable, expensive looking yet cheap, cute, black, sassy paten leather shoes with a cute silver buckle on the toe.

Have a great day my sweet ones. I love you!