Hope Road

A Shoe Story

Wow! I’m almost tempted to leave my de-lurk post up for weeks, just because it’s been so much fun to hear from you. It’s so encouraging to know that people are reading, and hearing that directly from my readers is better than reading my stats. Thanks for taking the time to comment; I know many of you are very busy. But know that I greatly appreciated it.

I had a great birthday; it was definitely my most elaborate one yet. My roommates and dear friends C. and S. were going to take me horseback riding, but the weather was kind of iffy so instead I got my hair straightened and we got free makeovers. Then we went out to dinner, and then they took me on a carriage ride downtown at sunset! It was so much fun! Afterwards we came back to the apartments and there was a surprise party for me with our group of friends. They were all so nice! I can’t believe how much trouble they went to. I had a wonderful day.

Now, on to the topic of the day. I was thinking about this yesterday and realized it would be good to write about. Okay, so my shoe situation is a little lacking. I have two pairs of nice black shoes, two pairs of casual brown shoes, and a lot of flip-flops. That’s basically it. It’s mostly for two reasons - 1) I don’t put forth the time, effort, or money into finding good shoes, and 2) I have feet that are size 11 wide!

I know, I can’t believe I’m revealing this. But I am 5′9, so it makes sense, right? The point is that it’s really hard to find shoes that are 11 and wide. And if I can find them, they’re often way too expensive. So my shoe collection is very minimal and will always be basic and generic. I probably have about 10 pairs of shoes right now, not including some old retired ones. That doesn’t seem like a lot compared to some people I know, especially other women.

Part of what we did in Peru this summer as interns was giving away shoes with a couple of the teams. We would go to a home or an orphanage with bags and bags of brand-new shoes, and would find the right sizes for the children and help them put them on. Oh, I will never, ever forget that. They were so excited. Many of them wanted to wear them right away, but others wanted to save them for nice occasions. Kneeling at these orphans’ feet, taking off their old, smelly shoes, and helping them put on their brand-new shoes, was one of the most joyful experiences I’ve ever had.

And I realized that for so many of them, this was their second pair of shoes. They now owned two, and for them, that was richness. At one home, they asked us how many shoes we owned.

I wasn’t expecting that question. I reluctantly responded diez (10), and that just seemed like so many. I know one of the girls on the trip with me had a lot more than that, and I probably would have too if it weren’t for shoe size and money. We can go on and on about how rich we are in America compared to third world countries, but here it was right in front of me. These beautiful children had one pair of shoes, now two, and I had ten. Their eyes widened when they heard how many I had. Why would anyone need that many? I must be so rich.

It’s so easy to play the comparison game. She has fifty pairs of shoes and I only have ten; why is she so blessed and I’m not? But we rarely play the comparison game in reverse, do we. I have ten pairs of shoes and she only has two; why am I so blessed? That kind of thinking will hopefully result in gratefulness to the Lord for His provision, in careful consideration of what is necessary and what is extravagant, and in an eagerness to help others who don’t have even the most basic necessities.

Ten pairs of shoes or two? I don’t think I’ve looked at shoes the same way since.

Tags: Peru

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