All about the shoes!

If you are surprised that I can do a whole post on a pair of shoes, either this is your first visit to LauraCoxworth.com, or we have never met. I have a rule in my life.

"I always want to be barefoot, but if that is not possible, my feet need to be in a pair of FIERCE shoes, or amazing cotton gym socks"

If you think that I am kidding, I am not.

Knowing my love of all things shoes, my amazing roommate purchased for me a pair of really beautiful HIGH stilettos for Christmas. I had not worn them though, because they are just a bit too big, and the heels are so high, that you don't want to risk falling off!

I pulled the shoes out for the Nails because frankly they are soooo nice. The only problem is that this year, the stage had about 40 steps of various heights and placements that I had to navigate around to do my part. Normally I choose shoes that are completely safe, snug fitting and preferably with some sort of strap for insurance, so I am not really sure what I was thinking with this year's choice.

As I think about it though, it is possible that these shoes were the PERFECT shoes for what God wanted me to see and understand. The combination of size, height, and stairs meant that EVERY step had to be thought through, every movement carefully considered,

In carefully considering every step, I realized that it didn't make sense to take extra steps just because I felt I HAD to. It forced me to be more efficient in my movements. As well, when amateur actors (and I am definitely in that category) get on stage, there can be a tendency towards frenetic movement that can look panicked from the audience. I am sure that I looked much more settled than I felt simply because I didn't want to risk the extra steps.

Is is possible that God can speak to me through my shoes? I love God, He loves me, and I LOVE SHOES, so it seems a logical extension.

Here is what I discovered: Anything that keeps me a little off balance has the amazing by-product of sending me right into the hands of God. I have discovered over my journey a reliance on Him that I hadn't before. As well, I have discovered that sometimes movement for the sake of having something to do steals something from the experience you are trying to have. I have learned the benefits of waiting one more moment before taking what I feel is the next step.

Onstage when the lights dimmed but I needed to walk down some steep stairs, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, but if I waited that extra moment, I was much more confident that I wouldn't fall down the stairs. I have learned it is the same with God. Occasionally, He calls us to something with a short timeline, and delay in that case IS disobedience, however, more often then not, another moment to consider is actually better.

Has there been a situation where you took extra time to ponder and had a lot more safety doing what God had called you to?