My Chacos are probably my favorite shoes in the whole wide world.
I’ll never forget getting them as a birthday present my first year of being a camp counselor. Those shoes have hiked mountains, walked on foreign soil, and treaded through the most beautiful waters. There was no doubt in my mind about bringing them on the Race with me. They were strong, durable, (and it didn’t hurt that they looked super cute with leggings and a flannel.)
Yesterday we hiked up the mountain at Wenchi Crater Lake. The scenery was beautiful and the lake was captivating, but for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off of my guide. He was about 40 years old and the way he provided for His family was to hike with tourists up the mountain… every day. How high was this mountain you ask? Picture “God’s Thumb” from the movie Holes and you probably have got it right. So this sweet man hikes this mountain in the heat as a way to put food on the table. Some of you may be saying, “Hiking is fun! Doesn’t sound that bad to me!” My question to you is this: Have you ever hiked two hours up a mountain barefooted?
Yes.
This man was wearing off brand crocs that were ripped in half and had no bottom. So while I wanted to embrace the scenery… I couldn’t take my eyes off of his feet. I wondered how bad they must hurt, or were they numb by now? Were those the only shoes he had? Was there a way for him to get more? I struggled with this half the way up the mountain, and as we came to the end of our tour… I heard the sweetest voice from my Father.
“Give him your shoes.”
WHAT?! Hold up God…. These are my CHACOS. These things cost a lot of money! And they are the only shoes I have left. They are the only ones to last me until the end of my race! (I ended up accidently buying tennis shoes that were way to small and left the most painful blisters on my feet) My Chacos were all I had. Then again, the voice that was so sweet and not demanding said, “Give him your shoes.” Next thing I knew I was taking off his shoes, then taking off my Chacos and putting them on his feet. I knew these shoes would last him almost forever and make putting food on the table a little easier for him.
I finished the hike back to the welcome center barefooted, and hobbled as I tried to keep my balance on the rocks. I couldn’t even look back at him as he walked down the mountain. My feet began to hurt and those Chacos were more than just shoes. They were a gift from two special people who are no longer in my life, and I guess in a way that was how I was holding on to them. The most memorable moments of my life were while I was in those shoes. How many times do we miss out on the joy from the Holy Spirit poured out on someone else’s life because we are too caught up in ourselves?
That man could have danced down the mountain, or jumped for joy on his way down. He could have showed all of his friends, or looked up and praised God. But I was too selfish to even look up at him. God asked something so simple of me, but I was too caught up in thinking about myself to even rejoice with Him.
Then, I was humbled… very, very humbled.
How easy it is for me to get another pair of shoes. How easy it was for me to walk a short distance barefooted where he had just walked miles. Then, I was overcome with joy as I saw the Gospel play out right in front of me. God so beautifully saw us in our dirtiness and pain of living a life without shoes, and sent us Jesus. He sent us His very Son, His best, His firstfruit. His Chacos.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9
Now lets take this a little bit further, not only was He overjoyed to do that for us but then He finished the hike for us, and painfully walked on the rocks so we didn’t have to… all the way up Calvary. This is not a blog to blow my trumpet and say “look at what I have done!” This is not to tell you how I gave away my shoes to someone in need. This is all to say that Jesus left my Chacos in Ethiopia. I love those moments where we can’t take credit, because our flesh would have done the complete opposite. I hear the voice of my Father when I am humbly dwelling with the needy, more than I hear it while I am sitting in a church service. I now consider my once favorite blue Chacos as a loss “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:8. Chacos are easy to replace… being close with my Father through serving His people is irreplaceable. Thank you Jesus for leaving those Chacos in Ethiopia.
