"I wear a lot of different hats..." We hear that expression from time to time as people shift between priorities in their life.
I was talking with our friend Krispin Mayfield the other day, and he suggested that maybe instead of hats we could talk about wearing a lot of different shoes.
He and his wife have chosen a life of simplicity and live among the poor in the midwest as ministry. They walk in the shoes of the poor in and amongst their other activities and other shoes they wear...
Shoes are typically where we and our physical journey meet with the full force of our body, our stride, and our activity. Hats, for the most part, just sit there on our head without a lot of wear and tear other than from being taken off and on.
When I visited pulp mills as an engineer, I garnered respect in part because my steel toed boots were all beat up. The guys working out in the mill knew I had done more than just taken a tour, I had worked beside them on the floor.
I had a neighbor who retired at 42 after a very successful sales career. One of his secrets to success was he wore shoes that matched those of the clients he was meeting with so they would relate to him.
And today, I suppose I wear a lot of different shoes in my journey with those around me as an ambassador for Christ.
Sometimes I have my good neighbor shoes on as we run into folks passing by and are all dirty from working on our house and yard. Sometimes I have my community shoes on as I walk the streets and alleys of our city and show up at downtown events.
Sometimes I have my pastor shoes on as I stop in our park to talk with someone sleeping on the sidewalk. Sometimes I have my boss shoes on as I tackle issues that are holding our team back from success.
Sometimes I have my husband shoes on as I seek to love my wife the way Christ loves the Church.
And then there are some times I don't want to wear a particular pair of shoes that I know I'm called to wear because of the difficult road I know I must travel in them.
Shoes are where the rubber meets the road. Shoes are where ideas turn into reality. Shoes are where responsibility turns into action.
What shoes has God called you to wear?
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