What Kind of Shoes Do You Wear? If the Shoe Fits…

What kind of shoes do you wear? Romans 10:13-15: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'”

By Barbara Case Speers
7 January 2020

So – what kind of shoes do you wear?

Are they fashionable, comfy, practical, expensive, cheap, work related, athletic, or perhaps for special occasions? What do shoes have to do with our Christian faith? We have a soul and our shoes have soles! 

New shoes pinch toes…

However, despite the pain these Catholics who should be teachers and leaders of the Church endure the anguish. They hear the word of God, it convicts them, but they are unwilling to give up their worldly lifestyles and habits because they love their shoes.

Catholics wear loafers.

Loafer wearers sit on the pew and keep the seat warm.  They loaf around the body of Christ not wanting to get their hands dirty, leaving all the work of the Church to be done by the other members.  In addition, they have a tendency to be “laid back”, spiritually relaxed, having little to no conviction.  They relax God’s word to fit their feet.  When invited to grow their faith by attending a bible study or volunteer to further the work of the Church, they put up their hands and say, “Oh, I am too busy.”  Or, “It’s not my job.”

And, what about sneakers? 

Sneakers like to go where they shouldn’t go.  Whispering seems to follow their footsteps.  They sneak around the Church creating turmoil and division by their gossip.  They are called sneakers, because you cannot hear them coming or going.  But you can see their tracks in the dirt and all the chaos and division they have caused in the Church.

Flip-flops – flip-flop when you walk.

These brothers and sisters are excited when they hear the word of God. They serve and volunteer for a short period of time. Unfortunately, these shoes are perfect during the summer but when the winter wind blows, they fall back into their old ways making a flip-flop.  Flip-flop wearers also sit on the fence of indecision. They will always flip-flop with the majority, never standing up for the truth.

Booties are worn by newborns. 

They are made of soft material to protect the baby’s foot.  Yet, there are cradle Catholics who still wear them.  They grew up in the church, but their faith and knowledge of God’s word is still in the infancy stage.  They should be eating the solid meat of the word but they don’t have the ability to swallow applesauce. They cannot defend their faith or answer questions about their faith.

Slides and mules are convenient shoes.

Slides do the bare minimum, hoping to slide their way into heaven.   Mules are slides but slides are not mules.  Mules are Catholics that toil in the trenches.  Their downfall is that they are immovable.  We shouldn’t try anything new in the church because it was tried thirty years ago and it didn’t work.  Their narrow-minded views stifle church growth.  Negativity rules and everything becomes an ego/power struggle.  They work very hard but their opinions, misconceptions, and religious superiority becomes a stumbling block for those around them.

You can’t miss the pink fuzzy slippers.

Yes, these slippers are worn in the church building, but once they leave the parking lot, they are replaced by another pair of shoes.  God wants us to be the same people in the Church and out of the Church.  We are the light of the world. Keep the light burning!

What about dress shoes? 

We put on these special occasion shoes on Sunday morning and pridefully wear them to Church.  These shoes are more costly than regular shoes.  Our intention is to impress others.  These shoes are worn occasionally, usually two times a year on Christmas and Easter.  Sometimes, they are worn all year long.

Work shoes are always on the go!

These are the shoes that all Catholics should wear in and out of the church building.  These shoes provide mercy and grace to the wearer enabling them to get the job done! Jesus said for us to go and evangelize (Matthew 28: 18-20 ). Lace up your boots because we have a job to do in 2020!

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6: 10-17)

Photo by Emma Van Sant on Unsplash