by: Joe Talhelm
Have you ever seen a child slip into his or her parent's shoes and clomp around in them acting like Dad or Mom? Maybe you did it yourself as a child, I know I did! It is pretty funny to watch. One thing about this little kid in big shoes, he or she looks very awkward and often clumsy. They stumble and sometimes fall, but always get up and continue being "big". Sometimes they will try on their parents clothes and play house. The clothes engulf them and they are dwarfed inside as they strut around pretending to be dad or mom, even using the same words their parents might use in the home.
Being like dad or mom is very natural for children. They believe in their parents. They trust them. They look up to them - you see, dad or mom is their "hero". And hero's are often mimicked. This puts a huge responsibility on every parent. Big shoes mean big responsibility. Big shoes are on many hero's feet - sports figures, community leaders, politicians, etc. Each of these heros carry that "Big Shoe" responsibility everywhere they go.
Being Christlike is a major job for each of us. You see, it's the 'Big Shoe' thing again. Wearing the shoes (or is it sandals) of Christ means being like Him, living like Him, loving like He did, giving and serving others as He did. Now that's some big shoes! When all is well, we can walk in His shoes with no problem. But when troubles come, we soon realize how big His shoes are and begin to stumble and sometimes fall. The trick to walking in the shoes of Christ is to always get up and keep trying to be like Him, even after we stumble or fall. The person walking in the shoes of Christ will be a friend to the lonely, will visit those in the hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes. The person walking in the shoes of Christ will love the unlovable, reach out to the lowly and be a friend to the friendless. Big shoes means big responsibilities. When wearing these shoes, people become good citizens, honest & respectable neighbors and a strong influence, for what is right, in the community.
Some shoes, huh? They are big, but not too big for us to walk in. Not too big to learn in. Not too big to love others in. Kind of awkward at first, kind of sloppy at times. But we soon learn to walk in those 'Big Shoes' and become like the Owner of those shoes. Soon, people know us for the shoes we wear and not for the money we might have, or the big car we drive, or even the nice home we live in. It's 'the shoes' that people notice. It's the selfless attitude and the love that radiates from the one wearing 'the Big Shoes' that makes all the difference in the world.