I recently heard two accounts of children putting on the shoes of their parents. The first was from a young woman, that I greatly admire, telling how as a young child she wanted to wear her father’s size 16 shoes throughout the house. She herself shared how her little feet in those big shoes created something of a challenge as she tried to walk. The other was a friend telling how her young child goes into her closet to put on her shoes. This is a classic move that children just seem to love to do. What they are thinking we may not know specifically because of their age, but we do know that they are drawn to slip into the shoes of the important people in their lives.
So, how does this really equate to now, and why is it even a question that I am thinking has any relevance? Quite simply, it is because often we want to wear the shoes of someone that we either admire, or think their shoes would be a good fit for us. Perhaps they have a calling that seems to fit what we desire, or maybe we just like where their shoes are taking them. That alone may be enough for us to consider it for ourselves. Whatever it is, I think that when we are looking at another person’s life, their calling, or their ministry, we need to ask ourselves important questions before we go much further.
First question I would ask personally is, “Am I called to do what that person is doing?” If I get a yes to that question, then I can start to narrow it down even further. I will do this by asking even more questions, and I will bring trusted individuals alongside me to get their wisdom on the subject. At the end of the day, we all have specific areas where we flourish, and it is in those areas where we want to be pouring our energy and focus.
My shoes will not work for you because they were made for my feet, but the same is true of your shoes. We may have a similar fit, but as soon as they are on your feet they become yours! Most of us have experienced the pain felt from wearing shoes that did not fit us properly, and once is usually enough to keep us from ever going down that path again.
Philippians 3:14 CSB I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.