If the Shoe Fits...

Yesterday, Coralyn put on my tennis shoes and was doing her best to walk around in them. Not only that, she was trying to carry her purse, keys, sippy cup, and a stuffed animal to her Cozy Coupe Car. She made it to the car, after several attempts, but was really struggling to get inside. First, she had way too much stuff, and second, my shoes simply wouldn't fit. She was determined, though, to get in that car! Despite her many trips and falls, she was not going to give up. She set her mind to something, and she was going to do it!

I just sat on the couch and laughed.

I did offer some good suggestions:

"Put some of your things down and they try to get in the car."

"Take off the shoes. I don't think the shoes are going to fit. They're too big."

She didn't want my motherly advice. And so I continued to watch in amusement as Coralyn kept lumbering around in my tennis shoes and making a clown of herself. :)

As I sat there chuckling, I realized that I often try to wear shoes that don't fit, that were never intended for my feet. These shoes are WAY too big...see, they're God's shoes. So often I try to figure everything out, to get all the details lined up, to make plans and know exactly what is going to happen: when, where, how, and anything else minutely important. When faced with a problem or a difficult situation, I immediately go into plan mode. I rack my brain for solutions. I think of every possible thing I could do. And then, usually, I rush on ahead and carry out my plans. The problem: I am trying to do God's job. I am trying to wear His shoes, and only end up making a fool of myself in the process.

Right now God is teaching me to sit back and wait on Him, to let Him make the plans. This is really hard for me! I am not good at waiting, especially when I don't know all the details. I don't like being in the dark, not knowing what to expect, or how things are going to play out. But, God keeps reminding me that He is in control, that He has everything planned out (to the tiniest of details) and will get everything done (perfectly) in His timing (which is always best anyway).

So, instead of trying to be God and lead the way...instead of trying wear God's shoes (and make a huge mess of things and look like a clown in the process), I am beginning to realize that I just need to follow in His footsteps.