This morning I woke up and decided to wear my glad-I’m-alive shoes.  These shoes are the epitome of cuteness.  They’re houndstooth, peep-toe heels with a little three-button accent.  I bought them after I was in a tragic (-ly over-dramatized) car accident (which is another story for another day).  And really, what better way to celebrate surviving a near-death-experience than by buying shoes?

Since we’re rounding the corner into cold weather, I thought today would be a great day to re-debut the glad-I’m-alive shoes.

And then I remembered that I took them to Iowa for Christmas last year.

Last Christmas, I went to Iowa to be with my family.  It was wonderful and Christmassy and white.  On the way back to Springfield, I decided to meet some friends in Kansas City for a prayer conference.  Due to a fancy game of musical cars, I arrived in Kansas City solo, but had my friend Charity with me for the trip back to Springfield.

The last morning of the conference, we loaded the car with all of my Christmas loot and the rest of our luggage and headed out for a day of loving Jesus.  We finally found a parking spot relatively close to the convention center and headed in to the conference.

After the last workshop of the afternoon, Charity and I headed out to the car to go out for dinner before returning for the evening service.  When we rounded the corner and headed toward the car, I noticed a hanger in the slush next to my tire.  I commented to Charity about the oddity of a lone hanger on the sidewalk of a business district.  As we approached the car, I realized the back window had been broken and the hanger was a remnant of the clothes I’d had hanging up in my back seat.  

In all, the thieves (I assume it was more than one culprit due to the sheer volume of their bounty) had made off with Charity’s iPod, her suitcase, pajama bottoms, one very cute suede boot, and her makeup collection (accumulated over a few years and worth several hundred dollars).  They also got my suitcase (containing, among other things, all but one pair of jeans I owned), cosmetic bag, a bag full of brand new workout clothes and shoes, computer, iPod, and (gasp) five days worth of shoes (approximately ten pairs, including my glad-I’m-alive shoes), which leads us to this morning.

Once we took stock of what we had lost, we both started to laugh.  Being the manly man he is, our friend Josh happened to have duct tape (albeit fire-engine red duct tape) on hand to temporarily patch up the back window.  Sure, it was pretty frustrating losing all of that stuff and driving around with red duct tape covering my window.  But really, she and I were both OK and we didn’t lose anything that couldn’t be replaced eventually.  When we started to think about the logic (or lack thereof) behind the theft, we really started to laugh.  Besides the electronics, unless the thief wore a women’s size 8 shoe, size 6 jeans, and had an affinity for MAC makeup, everything else wasn’t worth much. 

It’s been nearly a year and other than the occasional memory lapse, we’ve both adjusted fairly well to the loss.  The Lord has provided for both of us in some really incredible ways.  Families in our church were really generous to both of us.  My brother got a free iPod and gave it to me.  We both learned the value of learning to pack light.

Most importantly, the entire experience has made me realize that the things that we save up for, spend weeks drooling over, and think we simply cannot live without are so temporary.  In an instant, everything we think provides us with a symbol of our status can be completely gone.  Trust me, life will go on quite swimmingly even without your ten most favorite shoes.  It is entirely possible to survive with only one pair of jeans in your closet.  Your car can run just fine with red duct tape covering your back window.

I have learned the truth of Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV) “And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

So, this morning, instead of being frustrated with having to pick out a different pair of shoes to wear, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Not only do I have several other pairs of shoes to choose from, but I have a loving and gracious Father who meets all of my needs and provides for me in ways that far surpass what I can even hope for or imagine. 

Who knows?  Maybe He’ll provide me with a new pair of houndstooth peep toe heels with little three-button accents.

**Edited to add that I miraculously found these shoes on Ebay. They’ve been discontinued, but I’ve got my pair! God is good! :)