IF ALL THE SHOES WERE GONE

Streaks of light from a nearby lamp interrupted the wee hours of the morning and illuminated one of my biggest pet peeves - all four pairs of them.

Shoes.

There they lay, once again, in the middle of the floor. Like most households in the year 2020, shoes inside the house were a far more common occurrence than shoes outside the house. Any other day, their sight would've risen my blood pressure and had they been awake, my three sons would've heard yet another mommy tirade.

But, the only ones awake that pre-dawn morning were me and the Holy Spirit. As I glanced at the glowing shoes that seemed to taunt me a second time, the Holy Spirit whispered a game changing question to my heart:

"What if all the shoes were gone?"

At his question, I locked my gaze on the shoes. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I pondered the answer.

For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. James 4:14

With twin micro preemie sons whose combined number of days in the NICU totaled more than one year, I knew how true this verse was. Over the years, an accumulation of dirt and aggravation almost made me forget.

Months have passed since that morning and so have the tirades and frustration I used to feel every time I saw shoes lying around. I still remind my boys to pick their shoes up - sometimes multiple times a day - but not without hearing the Lord's question echo in my heart first. I ponder it's implication and my heart becomes overwhelmingly grateful for the ever lengthening shoes that will walk right out of this house and into their own before I know it.

Dear hard working and loving mother, whatever pet peeves be ours today, may God whisper and keep whispering to our hearts what really matters.