Shoe shine

 Hurrying out, I noticed that my black leather shoes looked a bit dull. Usually I would use wax polish with a "putter-on" brush and shine the wax with "polisher" brush. There was no time for this age old and effective method so I grabbed the liquid polish. It turns out  that the small floral patterns on the shoes are not just surface decoration but small perforations in the leather. Black liquid polish doesn't wash off your fingers or your feet as quickly as you would hope.  

I was reminded of a Bible verse in Haggai, " You have planted much, but gather little, you eat but there is not enough to fill you, you drink but are still thirsty, you put on clothes but no one is  warm enough, you earn money but put it in a bag with holes."  At the end of the chapter God explains that because he is with the people who feel like this, things can improve.

I discovered that because I didn't think my shoe-shining method through, it messed things up. I reckon that evaluating our priorities including considering the existence of a God who cares about us and doesn't want things to be spoiled or inadequate, would be beneficial to our productivity and ultimately make improvements that would make us less dull and less messed up.

First impressions.

 




This week I went to an introductory meeting for an important role I have recently been commissioned to fulfill. I was keen to look professional so I wore my good quality, smart Berkertex skirt. I chose Clarke's flat shoes in order to appear sensible and capable of being on my feet for as long as may prove necessary. The meeting went well. When I got home I sat on the sofa with a cup of tea. Looking down at my feet I saw this.

More about shoes.

Last year, I saw a pair of shoes in New Look which had a sticker on them bearing the following information   "These shoes are not suitable for outdoor wear."  - PARDON? What earthly use are they then?

Give me a pair of slippers, they're cheaper. I read an article about Jimmy Choo £450 shoes which had to be taken to be resoled before they could be worn. In the interests of my credibility, I had never heard of Jimmy Choo before I tried to get some pictures to add to this blog and came across the article about his useless shoes.
The Bible talks about decent shoes. When God looked after his people escaping from slavery their shoes didn't wear out for years. When Paul writes about wearing shoes he says our feet should be "shod" which means "underbound." Take a lesson Mr Choo and New Look.  The underbound shoes a Christian should wear are metaphorically those which are suitable footwear for carrying the gospel of peace to people. So many people lack peace, they are anxious and stressed and fraught and worried. The good news that comes from God through Jesus is that you can have peace. Not only can you have it for yourself, you can have such a strong and resilient soul that you can share that peace with others.  These really good shoes wont cost you£450 because they've already been paid for, that's another part of the good news.