Shoes Of Peace

Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. . . . For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

“Hey, Lizzie. Can I pull these off?” I called out as my daughter rounded the corner and started toward where I was hunched over in the shoe aisle.

I straightened as she approached, and we peered down at my feet in the moderately heeled, shiny, classic black patent leather pumps with a sassy, barely-there, iridescent shimmer reminding me of oil on asphalt.

“If I buy them, I think they deserve a name. Maybe Oil Slicks?” I’d never given a name to a pair of shoes before, but these delightful heels cried out for one.

“Mom, those are awesome. They should be your ‘I don’t listen to mean people’ shoes.”

Startled for half a moment as I processed her words, I pulled her in for a tight, quick hug. “You are right, thank you,” I whispered into her ear before releasing her.

Lizzie’s simple statement realigned my perspective with God’s Word. There is a difference between accountability and honest conversations about where we’ve fallen short, and the nasty spew that steals our peace for any number of reasons, almost always having more to do with the other person than with us. And I’d recently allowed my peace to be stolen by nasty spew.

I’m grateful that my inherent worth has nothing to do with my ability to coherently string words together, my inability to add numbers accurately, or any other good and bad comments about my skill sets and talents. My peace comes from God, unshakable and unavailable to be stolen by my fellow flawed humans.

And while the armor of God is spiritual in nature, my Oil Slicks represent being shod in the peace that comes from knowing the Good News. And just as knights donned armor before battle, I wear my Oil Slicks to remember that the peace of God cannot be stolen by circumstance or by other people. I know that my shoes have zero actual power, but I am grateful for their tactile reminder.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

What part of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 might you need in tactile form as you stand firm in battle?