I’m not a shoe person, I’m a sneaker guy having had 38 pairs of high-top Converse sneakers. I’ve enjoyed having them in various colors and also the superhero collection. Having always been a runner and a jumper, and having weak ankles, shoes just don’t cut it. As a teacher, I had students from 3rd grade up to the 8th grade wearing their Converse sneakers to be part of the ‘in-group’ too!
top: The Flash, mine
But when it comes to robes and sandals, I have a hard time imagining heaven where everyone will be wearing them…since I’m neither a robes or sandal guy person. But I know God knows what He’s doing!
“Grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins,” goes a Native American Indian prayer I have on a plaque. While “Walk A Mile in My Shoes” was a hit song by Joe South back in the early 1970’s. The sayings go back decades and most of us are very familiar with them. There’s plenty of truths behind those few words. Many of our national leaders as well as local politicians oftentimes expect us to do things, or live in ways they never would. They need to be in our shoes to know what some things are like. Walk in someone else’s shoes, and you probably won’t be judging them anymore. If you lose an arm, you’ll know what people who have lost one go through. Same with a leg, your back going out, etc.
At college in NYC, I had a professor in my ESL (English As A Second Language) class who once said, “Oh Yeah, racial jokes are funny…so funny—until they hit home. Suddenly, they’re not funny anymore. Guess what? If they’re not funny to you, then they’re not funny to those you say them to. Bottom line: Don’t use them.” That’s a perfect example of walking in someone else’s shoes.
Hundreds of years earlier, Jesus shared the same truth in what is known as The Golden Rule which says: Therefore, all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12). We’ve all seen kids walk around in adult shoes trying to be their mom or dad. Doing so, gives us a different perspective on life.
Whether we drive a fancy car, have an unlimited amount of spending money for a few hours, or visit an extravagant home such as The Biltmore Estates with 250 rooms and a dining room with 68 hand-carved arm-chairs, and some 23,000 books, etc. allows us to see how others live and what life could be like.
No one knows about filling others’ shoes more than Jesus. He ‘lived’ (actually existed) in unending splendor, had hosts of angelic beings at His disposal, had luxuries galore with trillions and trillions of riches, no sickness, no death, no sin, no beginning, no end as well as perfection and being omnipresent and omniscient. Yet, in order to relate to us, He had to live in our world. So, scripture says He emptied Himself of the glory He had in heaven. Remember, Jesus and the Father, along with the Holy Spirit have always been ONE in essence and in existence. He left it all behind to come live amongst us (Philippians 2:7). He…was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). When we complain of how hard life is, He knows. He was there.
It’s interesting that thousands of men & women want to visit Jerusalem to walk where He walked, when in fact, He decided eons ago to walk where we walked! One ‘day’ before the foundations of the world, He said, “I will walk where ____________(your name) walks; I want to know what life is like for her. I want to suffer as she suffers. I want to be hated as he is hated. I want to be falsely accused as he is. I want to lay down my life for humanity that they may know Me as the God of Love.” Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:16).
Jesus shared one of the most touching stories in all of the Bible, the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). When the wayward son returned, the father told his servants to bring out the best robe, a ring, shoes on his feet, and kill the fatted calf so they could celebrate the return of his lost and dead (long-time missing) son. Not only does Jesus walk in our shoes but when we return to Him, he dresses us with new garments including shoes. The new garments speak of new experiences as well as a new righteousness. We’re now new people. Why shoes? Because now our steps are directed by Him. We’re now on a new journey. We now walk in tune with him. We now know we need to walk where He walked and how He walked. We now know that His paths took Him on a road to suffering-the same road we’re now to follow. Big shoes to fill, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
