If you are a city girl, or if you have seen even the least littlest bit of the Jerry Springer Show (taped live in Chicago) you KNOW that when two women have decided that they are going to come to physical blows the first thing that happens – their shoes come off! As a martial artist who trains without shoes, I can imagine that if I had to physically defend myself I might want to kick my shoes off as well. Especially if they were a really cute pair of Jimmy Choos (must preserve the shoes ;-). But what happens when we are spiritually attacked?
Ephesians 6:15 says that we are to put on our shoes of peace – the peace that comes from the Word of God – as preparation for spiritual warfare. However, I believe our natural tendency is to do the fleshly thing; to kick off our shoes at the first indication of a fight. And my belief is based on my own personal experiences in this matter.
I struggle with pride therefore it is very easy for me to become offended (over just about anything!). The husband who forgot to flush the toilet after making his daily deposit; the kids who left a trail of dress-up clothes all down the stairs; the friend who talked a little too long and then I didn’t get the chance to talk about me. . .the list goes on, unfortunately. And when I am offended I can feel the anger rise inside me and I kick off my shoes of peace and spew harshness and unkindness on the nearest individual (this is the principle of the “garbage truck” – garbage inside, garbage outside, dumped on the nearest and most convenient victim).
But we all know that that is not what God wants. Besides that, He never asks us to do something that he doesn’t first give us the tools to accomplish the task. It’s up to us to make the proper use of those tools. And how can you use a pair of shoes properly if you are not even wearing them?!? So let’s all strive to, at the very least, start combating spiritual offense and discord by putting our shoes of peace on and keeping them on. Once we can do that, in time we will learn to walk in those shoes and our journey on the road to spiritual maturity can continue.
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