Well here we are week two of a two week series on shoes, and off we go.
Last week we talked about spiritual shoes and our spiritual shoe closet. Today, we want to continue on the shoe theme, and discuss the inevitable result of having multiple pairs of shoes - shoe boxes.
The shoe box is a great thing. At one time each shoe box contained a pair of shoes that either served you well or are currently serving you. If you are like me though once you take the shoes out of the box the box then takes on a life of it's own - storage container.
I keep CD's, misc pens, cards, small collectibles, photo's, memories, old notes, small tools, batteries, and numerous other things in shoe boxes. They become a cheap and efficient organization tool for me. As good as that is, many times they also become the holders of things that need to thrown away or of old less important memories.
Shoe boxes full of pictures are in many homes. Within them we find the story of the people's lives. That in itself is fine, but if all the person has to show for their life is shoe box's (i.e. memories) then it is very sad. Our lives should always contain things that are current and vibrant. We should never have to go to our shoe boxes of memories to define our life, or our current state.
In the same vein, our spiritual shoe boxes should contain great memories of our past with God. However, there should never be a time where all we have to show of our walk with Christ is in the past and/or in storage.
Our lives with God should always be moving toward a better future. The various stored memories should be there to remind us of our past, both encouraging our current walk and teaching us lessons that are relevant for what we are approaching, but we should never have a life with Christ that exist only in the past or one where all we did for Christ is behind us.
Now back to shoe boxes as storage bins. Many times old shoe boxes become storage bins for things that we need to throw away. Old batteries, pens that are out of ink, broken items, and numerous other pieces of debris all find their way into old shoe boxes. Many times we just need to throw the stuff out and move on instead of keeping the stuff "for an emergency later".
Spiritually we can be the same way. Our spiritual shoe boxes can be holding things that we just need to go on and throw away. Past sins, past habits, past relationships, etc can all be neatly stored "for an emergency later" if we are not careful. Many times we want to keep them in storage where they are available and accessible, but that is not God's will. We are now His, and we were bought with a price, so we really must "let go and let God" if we are going to function fully within the body.
God wants us to get rid of the old and replace it with the new. We are a new creation and no "emergency" should ever drive us back to needing the things of our old life and way. Our shoe box storage of our old junk (be it before or after our salvation) can be one of our biggest weaknesses if we are not careful.
We know that this last series has been a bit different, but hopefully God has given you a bit knowledge and ideas from the stuff He showed us. In the end, it is the double blessing that we like about this process. We get blessed with God talking to us and teaching us, and hopefully you get a entirely different lesson and different knowledge by reading what God is talking to us about. Same God, same body, different people, different lesson, bigger impact. Ain't that just a God thing.
Have a great day - regardless of the circumstances around you - , be strong, be courageous, and serve God in all things.
