Can a Shoe Bring Joy?

Ah…..shoes. I have long been a shoe girl. Maybe it was that I became a young woman in the midst of the corporate world, where a beautiful shoe was considered the cornerstone to any outfit. Maybe it is just that there are so many different versions out there, you cannot help but always be on the lookout for the latest jewel.

In my early adulthood, my shoes always had the highest heel. In my opinion, a simple black leather stiletto is still one of the most attractive ways to dress up any outfit (although mine haven’t seen daylight in quite sometime). Nowadays, I tend to gravitate toward a casual sneaker rather than a stylish pump. Either way, buying and wearing a new pair of shoes makes me feel as though I am a runway model.

You might ask though, if so much joy shouldn’t be reserved for more spiritual things. Sure it should. True joy can only come from God above. The hope of heaven is reserved for those who have put their trust in Christ, and who have invited the Holy Spirit to dwell within and through them.

So what about my shoes? Am I supposed to sell every excess pair so that I can gain the joy of heaven? I would say that if your answer is yes, then you haven’t yet got the point Jesus was making. It’s not about giving up all you have here on earth, choosing to live in misery, so that you can gain eternity in paradise.
When Jesus spoke these words, he was referring specifically to what is going on in your heart. Are you holding onto your shoes (or any other favorite item) so tight that you’d refuse to give them up if God asked? Does the idea of losing a pair make you sick to your stomach, to the point of protecting them under lock and key?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

There is nothing wrong with having beautiful shoes. There is nothing wrong with having twelve pairs of beautiful shoes. The problem arises when we place more importance on our treasures than we do on the one who created the means and the minds to manufacture those treasures.
There is no greater treasure than Christ himself.

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:7-8

So keep your beautiful shoes! Worship the Lord wearing those beautiful shoes!! But make sure to check your heart, determining from where your true joy comes. Are you storing up treasures on earth, or are they in Heaven? That is a question only you can answer.

Dear Jesus, you are an amazing, incomparable treasure. There is nothing and no one else like you. I surrender to you anything that might get in the way of fully following you. I don’t want anything to come between us from here on out. Amen

Try this today: Ask the Lord to reveal anything that may take up too much real estate within your heart. Make a list of whatever comes to your mind and take time surrendering each thing to his care.