An Old Pile of Shoes

We’re nearing that time of year when I guess I’ll have to go shopping. There are only two times a year I do that. Christmas times means Christmas, Lynn’s birthday, Tressa’s birthday (on Christmas day) and our anniversary a few days later. Now it’s round two—in two weeks it will be Angelynn’s birthday and then mine the week after that. Do I shop for my own birthday? Only if I want something from an acceptable store-- CompUSA or BestBuy! This year, Lynn is throwing me a big party to remind me that I’m turning 50! That's what I need!

Anyway, I came across the following story the other day. A man named Claude Powell lived with his six children in the suburbs of Philadelphia. All six of his children needed of new shoes for school and the exact time that the old washing machine broke down. A string of bad weather had reduced his work, so money was tight. Powell managed to get the shoes, and then bought a used washing machine advertised in the paper. The house where he bought the washer was obviously the home of the well-to-do, filled with all the comforts anyone could ever want. As he packed up the old washer, the conversation got around to children. Claude Powell commented on the challenge of keeping six children in shoes. The woman left the room crying, and her husband explained that they had one child who had been paralyzed from birth. He had never needed a new pair of shoes. Powell finishes his own story, “When I got home I picked up all the old shoes worn out from skipping rope, kicking rocks, and jumping puddles, and I went off to be by myself. Kneeling by my bed gave thanks to God for all the worn-out shoes in our house.”

Sometimes we need to be reminded of what is really important. It is so easy for us to get caught up in what we don’t have and think we want. If we would occasionally just stop, seriously stop and consider all that we have, then we might find ourselves ashamed of wanting more and more. We have been blessed so much that often the very things we want (and even think we need) are really reminders of all we have. Our response should be to thank God for all his marvelous gifts and then to look for ways to share them with others.