Tough Shoes for a Tough Trip

Tough Shoes for a Tough Trip

 As the youngest of three boys, Andrew rarely received anything new. Most of his clothes and shoes were passed down from his brother, Adam. Adam owned a pair of sneakers that he wore so often, by the time it was passed to Andrew it was scuffed and a little too small. Andrew didn’t mind too much because he wanted to do everything his brother did. Within a few weeks the sneakers gained additional scuffs, had holes in the bottom, and made Andrew’s feet hurt; yet he refused to give them up. Andrew’s father noticed the sneakers and bought him a new pair.

 This is the image of our soul to our Father in heaven. We inherited the sins passed down from Adam. We added our sins to them, resulting in additional scuffs and holes in our soul. The road to eternity with God is paved with trials and temptations. The shoes we inherited from Adam are not equipped to travel this road. They constrict our feet—causing them to swell with our afflictions and bleed with our sufferings. They are too soft, thus easily penetrated by the temptations of the devil.

Our Father bought us new shoes with the blood of Christ. These new shoes are made of iron and brass—they cannot be scuffed nor penetrated. They are heavy to carry around, but they were made to last forever; as long as we tamper not with the ties God used to secure them. They are perfect for our feet because God does not give us more than we can handle. As the apostle Paul stated in his letter to the Corinthians, God “will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Thy Shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength be,” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

The shoes given us by God are like those He gave Israel when He led them through the wilderness for forty years; their feet swelled not, neither did their shoes “waxed old” (Deuteronomy 8:4; 29:5). When we allow ourselves to be led by God He will provide us with the necessary shoes for the road we must take. Fear not, we can make it.