I've often struggled with the concept that God can actually speak to me. And I mean in an audible way where I can hear his voice loud and clear, like a father speaking to his daughter.
Through my life I've felt nudges along the way. I've had moments where I knew God was pushing me towards a certain path. And I knew the moment I met my husband that God had planned for that instant from the second we were both created in the womb. Sometimes those snapshots, those memories that are frozen in our mind, remind us that God has always been there.
But have you ever heard God's voice so loud and clear that it almost stopped you in your foot steps?
A few years ago I was out for a run. I was preparing for an upcoming race and since my husband was home that particular weekend, I decided to get up and out early that morning. I wanted to beat the heat and get my miles logged before the kids were awake and restless.
I headed to my usual spot, a mile long paved loop that is nestled along a small creek. It is privy to local runners, mothers with strollers, kids on bikes, and those out for a nice brisk walk. It's the perfect path for pace setting and getting shade from the trees that line the trail.
I had only gotten about two loops in when I started to notice this couple. Each time I passed them they had a smile on their face and a simple joy about them. As I approached them on my third loop I couldn't help but notice the condition of the women's shoes. They were tattered and torn. The white leather that covered the shoes were cracked and rubbing off. And worse, the soles were so worn-out that the material that filled the soles were bursting out. The shoes were literally falling apart.
That's when I heard God's voice. It was loud and it was clear, "you need to offer this women your shoes". What? I'm in the middle of a run. That's ridiculous. And I'd look silly. Then I heard it again, "you need to offer this women your shoes". At that I moment I knew this wasn't just a voice in my head and I knew what I had to do.
I matched the couples pace and slowed to a walk. I was next to them and we began talking. Their English was broken but their sweet spirits were evident to anyone walking by. After just a few back and forth's I pointed to the women's shoes. I mentioned to her that they must hurt her feet and that I wanted to give her mine. The conversation turned from there into us walking to my car where I took off my shoes, handed the shoes to the couple, and then drove home barefoot.
As I drove away I kept replaying the scene in my mind. Was I afraid at first of what the couple might say? Yes. Did I feel awkward walking up to a complete stranger? Yes. But it was one of the first times I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had asked me, his child, to do something and I did it without hesitation.
I learned that the couple had a daughter and her shoe size matched mine. I learned that the husband was so humble he almost wouldn't accept my offer without trying to offer something in return. And I learned what it meant to truly hear God's voice.
I may not know what exactly it meant for this couple to have my gently worn shoes, but I knew that I had two more pairs sitting at home and if I wasn't willing to give up a simple pair of shoes, where else in my life would I be selfish to the earthly possessions God has given me? Don't they belong to God anyway?!
I wonder what else he could do through us if we listen more often when God speaks.
