Today, I got my spring splurge in the mail: two new pairs of of wonderfully beautiful shoes. After giving away my red toms last year (why oh why did I do that?) and see them everywhere (seriously everyone has a pair of red toms,.I bought mine on my honeymoon in 2009!), I've moved on to the new hit shoe, the French Bensimon. So excited to wear them. I also bought a pair of boat shoes. Not for any particular reason, I am probably 8 years behind that trend- fondly remember my roommates wearing sperrys (and mine are not sperry's!).Why did I buy them, then? To get free shipping and to have another pair of shoes.
I am a shoe person. I love my shoes. Have way too many of them, too, but miss any pair of shoes I give away. Why? Because they tell my story. ( Pink Saucony's where oh where did you go? I love you so! I am so sorry I gave you away!). Some people scrapbook, some people have tons of photos on Facebook, some people collect spoons or knickknacks, I have shoes. Shoes are how I remember my life. I fondly remember the shoes I wore in Italy, in France, in Hawaii. Shoes I wore in college and post college, to this wedding and that. I love thinking back on all those adventures. Hiking the Na Pali Coast in Chacos (not a good idea). Buying super comfy sandals at the Trastevere or Porta Portese market in Rome. My life is chronicled by the different shoes I wore in any given season. And in any given season, there are only a couple pairs of shoes I wear. I said I love my shoes, so I love them. Wear them until they are disgusting looking and worn out (sorry, black converses, it's almost time for you to go, even though I'll remember wearing you every dress down day at my first teaching job). Why did I give those snake skin flats away from H&M ( oh yeah, they were a bit too big and students would make fun of me for wearing them saying I was too loud in the hall way clack clack clacking... oh teaching in high school...).
It might be strange to store memories in pairs of shoes, but what can you do? I am who I am. And I am a person can't resist a good pair of shoes. I still have a pair of heels I bought in New York at Century 21 when I had my first job away from home over 10 years ago. They sort of signify my coming into adulthood and growing autonomy. I will probably have my cowboy boots and riding boots that I bought with one of my first paychecks for forever; a) because I sank a whole lot of money into them and b) they marked the transition from dependence on my parents to independence and dependence on myself. Who I have been and who I am becoming are shown through my shoe purchases. I might be hitting a dead horse with these examples, but they all show that shoes some how relate to my identity. I remember who I am or how I've grown through the different shoes I've worn.
For me it's shoes, for God, it's people. God chronicles himself and his stories through people. The most obvious ones are found in the Bible. God chooses to remember what He has done throughout the ages, Who He Is, through people. We know God, we remember God, through his interactions with different people. Starting with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, and unto David, Solomon, the prophets, then Jesus, the disciples, Paul, and finally, us. God chooses to make himself known through us, his people. We are all being amassed into one huge collective shoe closet to sing his praises and to remember all that he has done, does, and will do.
And I don't know if that comforts you in any way, especially since he works in us in very different ways, just like there are very different types of shoes out there. Some of us are work boots, some of us are fancy heels, or comfortable slippers, or sandals, tennis shoes, you name it. Our story is different from one to the next. But one thing that is the same, we are all His. And He remembers us and chooses us to play a specific role in His story. We are for His glory, His memory, His love. So just remember, you serve a purpose, one that is practical and one that is for pleasure. Just like my new pairs of shoes. So enjoy the journey. God is working in you! He is marking you as his own and will remember you all the days of his life. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment