Old Shoes, New Shoes

As the title says, this post is about shoes, sort of. I bought some new shoes the other day; non-expensive, regular ol' tennis shoes. They were much needed, seeing as my old shoes had no support, the bottoms were literally peeling off, and holes were beginning to show. They were also hurting my feet, and causing blisters on my heels from the plastic poking through after having worn through the fabric. Time and constant use had worn out my shoes. Recently, but before I got my shoes, my soul was feeling the same way.

The terms 'run down' and 'burned out' come to mind; that was how I felt. Life had run me over, and my own hurts and fears had burned me from the inside. My life is easy in comparison to others I know...and I know this. I'm not ignorant of the fact that I have been blessed with a rather laid back life. Maybe my life isn't glamorous; thank God it's not. I would hate the glamorous lifestyle. I already despise it. I'd rather have excellent friends than thousands of dollars. I'd rather enjoy time with loved ones than live comfortably.

And that was something I think the Hebrews missed, and I say Hebrews instead of Israelites because they weren't the nation of Israel yet. They said, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death" (Exodus 16:3b); and, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Exodus 14:11b-12). These types of statements show up throughout the rest of the book of Exodus. Over and over again, the people, their souls burdened and scorched from their many years in Egypt, turned on Moses and blamed him and The Lord for their struggles.

They didn't see that God wasn't fighting for their bodies, but for their souls. A soul dies in the lap of luxury; it rots amidst plenty. A muscle strengthens best under struggle and tension, and requires rest to regain its full strength. God took them out of "plenty" and brought them into the desert. God proved Himself faithful; He provided all their needs. He provided food and water daily; it wasn't glamorous. Pots weren't overflowing with meat, vegetables and fruits weren't abundant, but they were fed and their clothing and feet were sustained. "Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years" (Deuteronomy 8:4).

God cursed them for their disobedience - their failure to rise up and take their land for themselves (Numbers 13:26-14:44). Many died of plague and, when their enemies attacked them, and they wandered in the desert for forty years, God provided for them... He remained faithful. I pondered this as I was trying on my new shoes, wondering what it would be like if they never wore out. Would I really notice? It feels like yesterday that my old shoes were new; I didn't notice they were getting worn out until they were. I think our hearts and souls are the same way: we forget about their conditions, we rush and go, and we run out of steam and look down at our hearts and say, "When did I become weary, when did I start to burn out?" We didn't remain aware of our condition; we forgot to return to God daily to be renewed.

I struggle with this, but God remains faithful in all my struggles.
As always, onward I go.