In the US, we take shoes for granted. I am no shoe collector but I have all I need. In Haiti, Honduras, China, and Vietnam, I have seen kids who are barefoot and at risk. The following, from June of 2006, is about what we take for granted.
It was shoe buying time this Saturday. I rotate two pair of running shoes during the year and purchase a third before I go to Honduras in the summer. My brown dress shoes had completely split from side to side in the soles so that was added to my list. On top of those must haves, my khaki coaching shorts had developed a split in a most inopportune location. So, Saturday afternoon, I headed to Academy Sports And Outdoors, a large sporting goods and clothing retail chain. The shorts were easy to buy with an everyday price of $9.99 per pair- I didn't even try them on. But I just couldn't find running or dress shoes I liked at the price I wanted so I left empty handed...I mean footed. As I retreated to my car, I remembered there is a Shoe Carnival store in the same strip mall so I figured it couldn't hurt to walk over and see what they had. I found the running shoes section at the back but what really caught my eye was a discount pile. Everything on this table was only $29 according to the sign. There was a sweet pair of Nikes, labeled WIDE, in my size on the stack. I tried them on- perfect fit! I was so excited, especially at the register when the cashier told me they accepted personal checks. I told her I was ecstatic about the Nikes and remarked that I wish I knew when they had sales. To my surprise, she told me, "Well, you know, we have a buy one-get the second pair half price deal going on for the next fifteen minutes." I DIDN'T KNOW! She took my check, went over the details of the offer again, and I was off to the dress shoes aisle. I agonized a little bit, especially when they began announcing how many minutes were left in the special, but I settled on a pair of Giorgio Brutini tasseled loafers, which will last me five years. They were originally $49 and on sale for only $39. So, with with my buy one-get the second pair half price deal, I was able to obtain two great pairs of shoes for only $53.50 before tax. Plus, the cashier lady and I had a conversation about her interest in enrolling her brother, who is her ward, in Westbury Christian School next school year. All around, a very successful twenty minute excursion into Shoe Carnival.
You probably can tell that I am excited about my new shoes. But it isn't really the shoes; I just feel blessed that someone offered good news to me. If the cashier hadn't opened up, I would have never known and would have departed the store in ignorance. I was a seeker and she had just the information I needed. The gospel of Jesus is like that. It requires a seeker and one with the knowledge and the desire to share. I think the Lord will match up seekers and sharers. In the New Testament, the term good news is invariably preceded by action words: bringing, telling, preaching, proclaiming. It isn't to be buried like the man who hid his talent in one of Jesus' parables. I don't know if that cashier received a commission from her interaction with me but I think she deserves one. She was persuasive! The scriptures imply non-monetary rewards await those who, in a similar analogy, share the Gospel of a risen Savior:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news." (Isaiah 52:7)
I can only hope my feet are beautiful!
Applicable quote of the day:
"If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes."
Corrie TenBoom
God bless,
Steve (size 10.5)
Luke 18:1
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