Wearing His Shoes

My mom took a picture of my dad and me when I was somewhere around the age of two. In it I’m wearing my pink trimmed nightgown and dad’s Nikes which are clearly too large for me. Apparently my folks thought this was cute because mom grabbed the camera and told dad to pose with me. This has become one of my favorite pictures. I framed it a few years ago and kept in on my desk at my last job. It traveled with me to Michigan and is now sitting on my new desk at my new job. This little picture reminds me of peace; of a time in life when I trusted perfectly. It reminds me to now look to my heavenly Father for peace, protection, and provision with the same innocence and faith that I looked to my daddy for years ago as a little girl.

I realize that much of what I write is along this theme; seeking the Lord for peace and provision and learning this spiritual lesson from my dad’s example. My dad wouldn’t say he’s ever done anything unique or special as a father. He has simply obeyed the Lord’s call on dads by doing what men are supposed to do when they have children. As I look around me and see so many men with no clue as to how to be a daddy, I know that compared to them my dad is unique. I am so thankful for that.

My natural instinct now, as an adult, is to turn to my dad still. Life only becomes more confusing with time. In these moments when I want to call my dad I quickly remember that he no longer can carry my burdens as he did for so many years. Now I must turn to the One that he turns to with his every care. My mom and dad have always said, despite the circumstance, “We are rich because we have Christ.” I must remember that. I cannot forget. The whole world may seem to fall apart at times. Life can become so complicated and confusing that it feels like there’s no hope for the future. But feelings are not truth. Far from it, feelings are almost always lies. Even as I write that statement something within me begs to differ. My feelings at the moment are putting up a fight for their pathetic lives, tempting me to worry and panic about situations that I cannot control. I must fight back against the temptation and remember, “I am rich in Christ Jesus!” I have the choice at this very moment to submit to my feelings which offer no solution and more problems or to my Christ who saves me daily. Christ has given me access to my heavenly Father, giving me the choice to trust Him as freely as I have always trusted my daddy. It is a choice. God will not force me to have faith. I must choose with every day and every circumstance. When each feeling of insecurity arises I must choose whom I will obey.

By choosing to be obedient throughout every day and every circumstance my flesh, which has died through Christ, is being continually silenced. My spirit, which is my new life from Christ, is being disciplined; it is being trained to rise up on His strength, His courage, His peace, and His power so that through Him I can fight! Christ’s Spirit enables mine to obey. The reward is awareness of Christ’s presence and peace. How often do we face hardships in life and ask for His presence and peace thinking that then we will obey Him? No, we must obey first so that out of our obedience we can become aware of His presence. Otherwise, our disobedience clouds our spiritual vision. Our obedience is like a spiritual windshield wiper, removing the distraction so we can see Him clearly. When we are willing to obey, He provides us with the means to do so.

It is not my job to solve all of life’s problems. It is okay when in my lack of knowledge I make mistakes or oversights which cause new problems. Christ can handle it all. It’s not a problem for Him. He feels no worry or panic. He is the Prince of Peace! All I must choose is to be obedient to my heavenly Father and submit to His truth, not to my lying feelings.

“Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.” – Psalm 4:25-27

When I look at that sweet picture of daddy and me, may it remind me to see myself wearing a peaceful grin on my face and my Heavenly Father’s shoes, which are clearly too large for me. May I picture Him kneeling lovingly over me with His gentle, Fatherly smile displayed across His wonderful face. No matter how old I become, I will always be His little girl and He will always be my Father who takes care of me.

Sanctified and Surrendered by Caitlin Marie Stacy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.