Do you have a pair of white shoes? If not, do you have any color shoes?
If you are reading “Big Little People†right now, chances are, you have at least two pairs—one for school and one for casual wear. Maybe, you even have more.
I know of several kids who have a closet full of shoes. Ask your mom about one former first lady who had over 3,000 pairs!
“The White Shoes†is the title of one of my new books. It was inspired by the story of my friend, Eva, who told me about that time, long ago, when she was about to finish grade school.
Her graduating class was required to wear white shoes on graduation day. The trouble was, she only had one pair of shoes, and it was black. It was also old and looked grubby. She had been wearing it to school for the whole year!
Her father was bed-ridden with a terrible illness and her mother was earning very little from washing other people’s clothes. They barely had enough money even for food and her father’s medication.
Eva therefore decided not to attend her graduation anymore. But her mother wouldn’t hear of it, especially because Eva was graduating with honors.
With much resourcefulness, they were able to create a pair of white shoes, without spending a single cent.
But on graduation day, something terrible happened. And Eva wanted to disappear; she cringed from shame and embarrassment!
I speak of this story because many times, we focus on the bad things instead of the good. Especially when something sad happens to us.
What Eva and we don’t realize is that, the blessings of God far outnumber the things we think are bad. And we forget to thank Him.
“The White Shoes†is about being grateful for what we have and for making use of them in the best way we can.
Today, if we read the front pages of this newspaper, we find so many distressing news that can discourage us. There is a war ongoing in Zamboanga and Syria, corruption in our government, politicians quarreling over money, and many more.
Some adults are now afraid to read newspapers or watch TV news because they don’t want to be upset.
Well, such is the world we live in. The good and the bad happen at the same time. So if we let those unhappy thoughts run our lives, it is is difficult to be grateful.
Let me share the Bible verse that guided me in writing “The White Shoes.†For you, I’ll quote The Message (MSG):
“Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire! (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Be thankful for your white shoes, or any other pair. They’re blessings from above.
Please do me a favor. Think of one thing you should be grateful for today. You’ll discover that there are actually so many!
Won’t you post one on my blog site at www.leavesofgrace.blogspot.com?
Or e-mail me at gdchong@gmail.com