Get Praise and Coffee in your email.

Your email address:


Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, November 12, 2009

If the Shoes Don't Fit, They Might Not Be Your Shoes

I have huge feet.
There I said it.
I'm 5'9" tall and wear a size 11 shoe. I've always been so embarrassed by the size of my feet. When I was little I was in ballet class (they were attempting to teach me some grace) and they had to place a special order for my ballet slippers because of course they did not carry my size.
I desperately wanted to be petite, but couldn't even come close. I was the personification of Olive Oil. Tall, skinny and clumsy.

The school put on a play about the circus and I was cast as the "tall lady." I didn't realize circus' put tall people in the same categorie as lions, bears and bearded ladies. But apparently they did.

Did I mention my teeth, oh let's just not go there today.

I wished that I could be someone else, just for a day...a small "normal" sized person with cute hair and a pretty smile.

I just wanted to wear my friend's shoes, but heaven knows, they would not have fit. Even today I don't have a girlfriend that I could exchange shoes with. If I tried, I'd look ridiculous and be very uncomfortable. I'd walk funny and be miserable by the end of the day. The only shoes that work for me are my own.

Just like walking around in shoes that don't fit, I've tried walking around in someone else's calling, and guess what? It doesn't fit me. I see someone doing something that I think looks really exciting and I assume that I could step right into those shoes and do it too, only to find out that it's uncomfortable, and awkward and doesn't fit me at all. And at the end of the day, I'm pretty miserable.

What about you? Are you trying to walk around in someone else's shoes?




God has uniquely called each one of us. We were created by Him, for Him, to bring Him glory and reflect His love in this world.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
It's taken me many years to come to the place of being comfortable in my own skin. Not only physically but also my identity. Who am I....where am I going...what is my calling??

I still don't have it all figured out, but I am content. I will walk the road God has in front of me and let Him figure out the "why" and "how" of things.

Identity is a complex thing. Am I what I do? Am I the hats I wear? Oh I hope not! These ARE all things that I do, but they don't define who I am.




My bio says "wife, mom, speaker, writer and coffee drinker who loves the Lord." The things that I do help others figure out who I might be...but truly, who I am is not a bunch of titles- thank God! Because what happens is, when life changes and the titles are gone (and I guarantee, titles will change or disappear) we're left struggling to "find ourselves."

I've been there. It's a lonely scary place to be.

It forced me to search for who I was. In my searching I realized that I will never find my identity in a title or position, no matter how noble the cause.

Until I laid my life completely before Him and surrendered my will to His, I walked around as if in shoes that didn't fit.

Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

To get comfortable in this world, I had to hide my life in His and see my life in a much bigger perspective than I had been. I saw the small picture, He sees the big one. His is more accurate!

So, if the shoes you are wearing don't fit, they might not be your shoes. Slide your feet and whole self into Him. Start with prayer, He promises that when we seek Him we will find Him. Start "finding yourself" by settling into His love for you, dare to believe that you are completely accepted and loved by Him and go from there. He has a wonderful plan for your life.

********

Photobucket

One more thing....the winner of the November Praise and Coffee is:
Debbie at Love the Decor blog!!!
Stop over and see her super-cute blog!!

Thanks to everyone who entered!! Your comments make my day :)

26 comments:

Denise said...

Absolutely love this post. Thanks for sharing...

Shaun and Holly said...

Awesome, awesome post!! I am going to put a link to it, on my Blog later today. Thanks Sue!!
H.

Jen said...

What a wondeful post and a great reminder to seek God's plans, not what we think we should be or not be.

Thanks you for the blessing!
Jen
God's Shining Stars
http://godsshiningstars.blogspot.com

Jen said...

I'm going to share the link on my facebook.

Jen

Love the Decor! said...

I feel so blessed to be the winner !! Thank you so much!!
I could have written this post (not the "shoe" part) But learning to be comfortable in my own skin and with who God made me to be. Thank you for blessing us with wonderful words of wisdom and the reminder of where our focus needs to be.!

Praise and Coffee said...

Thanks so much, and especially for the links :)

Kela said...

AMEN!!! It seems that I'd been trying too hard to find the right fit.
The perfect fit is Jesus working through me.

Thank you Sue!!!

creative gal said...

Thanks. I so needed this post today! :o)

ctgardengirl said...

Your post spoke to me today. Being tall (just shy of 5'9) and 10/11 in shoe size, I can relate. I too have always envied small petite ladies.
But you are so right. Trying to fit into shoes that don't belong to you can be painful, embarrassing and confusing.
Col. 3:1 - 4 really spoke to me today. It reminds me on where my focus should be.
I am learning, during this midlife stage, to be more content with who I am in Christ, and less focused on this body I currently have. I am learning to accept myself, with all it's faults, and see more of it's possibilities.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Wonderful post, Sue!

For years, I wished I could sing like Sandi Patti, teach like Joyce Meyer, and...well, you get the picture. One day, I realized God made me who I was, a totally unique individual with gifts and talents to match what He'd called me to do.

This post brought back a lot of memories and a healthy reminder of who I am in Christ.

Blessings,
Susan :)

southerninspiration said...

Great post......and I'm the opposite.....very short and stubby....always wondered why I couldn't be lean and tall......but I wear a nine shoe, so I didn't get the petite feeT!!! :)
You're right. We have to grow into what our own calling is and learn to love that specific calling. thanks for the inspiration!

Suzanne

Amy said...

I have just recently had to admit to myself that I have been trying to walk around in someone elses shoes. As hard as that was to admit it was also very freeing to now be putting on the shoes that were made just for me. Walking the path God has for me is so much easier in these shoes than it was in the mis fitted ones.

Debbie said...

What a great post! I've often thought what a waste it is that we live 3/4 of our lives trying to get comfortable in our skin. By the time we are wise enough to figure it out, our skin is all wrinkled! But if we didn't have the journey, we would miss all of the lessons, messages, and love the Lord blesses us with along the way.

Shari said...

Thanks for sharing

Wylie @ Shout A Joyful Noise! said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SunnySusan said...

Oh Sue...I love how you did this...I am who I am in Jesus.....amen

Praise and Coffee said...

garden girl, I hear ya!!!

Susan, I dreamt of singing like Sandi Patti too!!

Thanks for all your sweet comments and input!

Debbie, you crack me up!

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a great post....Loved it. I have had so little time to read blogs....trees and decorating have taken every minute.....just decided to take an hour and read blogs...So glad I stopped here...http://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Nah, I'm happy these days because I'm being me.

Shawneda said...

Love the post very appropriate to where I've been in my life this week and ...I wear a size 11 we can swap shoes anytime 8) or better yet go shoe shopping...

lynnmosher said...

Sue, What a great post! I loved this! I've always had just the opposite...I was the 5'4" skinny-minny! Could never gain weight. Ha! Now I wish those days were back! By the way, I think you live in a beautiful skin! xoxox

Beth Herring said...

Great post today.

We need to always be mindful that God's plans are not our plans. We have to wear the shoes that He provides. THey will ALWAYS fit!

amy & lisa said...

Oh how easy it is to try to put someone else's shoes on. Why do we always think someone else's stuff is so much better?

char said...

hello

Goosegirl said...

This so reminds me of my girls. My India, born with club feet and hip dysplasia, wanted so desperately to be a ballet dancer. Yes, she took 3 years, and is back in dance again now, but she will never be the dancer that her sister Ahnalin will be naturally. India is a gifted singer, actress, writer, speaker, and leader in many areas. She has a pair of toe shoes given her by her cousin that she wears once in a while for fun.
And it hurts her that her sister Ahnalin has natural grace. Even at 5, in her 3rd year of ballet, Ahnalin's gift of dance is visible to anyone who sees her. Her teacher has her in a class with 8 year olds, and Ahnalin is still the most graceful and passionate in her exercises. She IS a ballerina and knows this already.

Yet, she wears her big sister India's high heels all over the house. They each want to be the other. Their love for the other is deep and true and I am doing my best to teach them each how precious and special they are, just as God made them.

Sivje

Rose said...

Love your blog! How true it is that we can only be who God called us to be, not who we think we should be. Especially if we are modeling after someone else.

  ©Blog Design by Amy Bayliss.

Return to top