Day 5

Oh my gosh!  It's only Day 5 of The Red Shoe Project and God is doing so much in my life each day, that it's difficult to narrow everything down to 1 or 2 things for this daily blog. I'm prayerfully trying to share with you the sweetest of what each day presents.  It's not easy.  If I were to write down everything, it would take pages and pages... and well, that just wouldn't work... would it?

Today was a HUGE breakthrough for me in the area of  AUTHENTICITY.

Authenticity is about being real...  genuine.

 It's letting who You really are stand out in the forefront.

Everyday, I adorn myself with RED SHOES to remind ME of the great Power and Presence of God in my life. Those shoes do just what they are supposed to do.  Every time I catch a glimpse of them, they shout to me... "Don't forget, God is with you!" And with that, I stay focused on Him and His plan for the day.

On the other hand, to Onlookers... I am stepping out of the house, day after day, sporting bright, bold shoes that scream "Look at me!"  How daring is that?  "Look at me?" Oh no! Who do they see when they look at me?  And there lies the problem.  Just who do they see?

I'm not worried about my closest of friends. They pretty much know exactly who I am.  And I'm not worried about the people I don't know. They're not supposed to know anything about me. I'm talking about all those people, in between... acquaintances of various sorts.  Just who do they see?

They see what I choose to project, and that's not always authentic. I told you the other day, that I've been guilty, in the past, of clothing myself with a watered down Christian image that I think is palatable to people.  Only now... these RED SHOES are challenging Me to be BOLD and COLORFUL in my faith... not just in my heart, but outwardly, for all to see.

Can you believe that? And I thought that I just had to wear RED SHOES in this project.  I never thought far enough ahead about the specific lessons I might be challenged with. But that's o.k. because I also never expected my faith to be so magical. Wearing this RED footwear has given me a powerful boldness that extends farther than I ever could have imagined.

So I shared with one of those "inbetweeners" today about The Red Shoe Project. And about  the discovery of my "holding back" and how I had come to the realization of the importance of my being authentic. I did it!  I did it!  I told her who I really was! And she didn't reject me at all!

But I've also come to the realization that, although there will be some that will reject me, there are also many others that are waiting for me. They are specifically looking for me and the gifts that I have to offer. And now they'll be able to find me.
I'm the one wearing the RED SHOES.

Of course, I know that it's not really the SHOES on my feet, but the HOLY SPIRIT in my heart.  He  is responding to my determination to know Him more. He is fueling me with a boldness to be authentic... to be who I really am, and not to worry about what people think. And at the same time, He is being authentic with me.  He's showing me who He really is, and He's not holding back!

What's better than that?

Gail

Day 4

When I wake up each morning, I look down and there's my toes sticking out from under the covers.  I smile as I see the bright RUBY RED, sparkly nail polish on my toes.  I've never before had any type of bold color like this from a pedicure, so I am getting used to them.  Not to mention, I live in Florida, where the weather is always warm, so it's not uncommon to be barefoot or in flip flops throughout the entire year.

As silly as it may sound, seeing those RED toes first thing each day have prompted me to stay in bed a little longer in the mornings and talk to God before I do anything else. I love that!  When I'm just waking up, my mind is clear. It hasn't had time yet to be filled up with all the clutter a day can bring.

While my head is still on the  pillow, I gently open my eyes.  Sometimes there's a praise song playing softly in my mind... or a scripture. I try to hang onto that for the entire day. It's usually the exact affirmation I'll need. So I'll quietly sing along or recite it before it's whisked away.

"He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God..."  (Psalm 40:3)

I so enjoy that peaceful time with my God. It's as if He's right there waiting for me to wake up.

Sometimes I whisper quiet secrets to the One I love. Other times, I look for help getting out of bed because I know that challenges await me. LOL.

Often, this is a time when God will speak clearly to me. He knows He has my full attention. When that happens, I will prop up my pillows, put on my glasses, and reach by my bedside for my journal and pen. I don't want to forget what God has taken the time to specifically dictate to me.

So it's only day 4 of the Red Shoe Project, and God has reminded me that...

"His thoughts are not my thoughts,

Neither are my ways His ways."

(Isaiah 55:8)  

So He's begun sharing His perspective on things that I might grasp ahold of His mindset as I follow Him in this Divine Partnership.

I spent much of today meditating on Psalm 25:4

"Show me your ways, O Lord

teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long."

I have found scripture easier to memorize when it's in the form of a song.  I found myself closing my eyes throughout the day and singing along with Hillsong:

Truly I yearn to know His ways that I might be a better follower.

Until tomorrow, 

Gail

Day 3

I woke up and headed out early this morning in my new RED ballet flats. As I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed that a heavy fog had moved into my development.  I could actually see it resting on the tops of houses. It was incredible how the upper halves of homes were completely hidden by the fog.
What an eerie feeling!  Just then the Lord spoke so clearly to me...

"Even though fog can make those houses look like they've disappeared, you know that  they're still there...  Right? 
Well, in the same way, when the difficulties of life roll in, and you can't see me, remember that I'm still here.  I'll never leave you."

I'm often comforted with God's promise of ...

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6

And here was the Holy Spirit reminding me of that first thing this morning.  It didn't surprise me that my early appointment with a good friend was a perfect opportunity to share what God had spoken to me. Turned out she was much in need of a reminder of just that.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can speak something so powerful and personal to me, and then speak that same thing to someone else, and it's just as powerful and personal to them, in a completely different way! I love that about God!

God is omniscient. That means He's all-knowing.  His knowledge is not limited like mine is. Not only does he know all sorts of facts about everything around me, (after all, He did create them), He's also knows the details of who I am -- on the inside. 

I've heard the saying, "He knows me better than I know myself."  That's so true! And it's especially obvious when I find myself "out of sorts" and don't know why.  I ask the Lord to reveal to me what's wrong and He does. He's so personal!

The fact that the Holy Spirit lives in me definitely has its advantages. He is with me always, right here, in my heart and in my mind... leading me, guiding me... teaching me... and talking with me.  Truly He is...

"The Friend that sticks closer than a brother."

Proverbs 18:24

Day 2

Today I stepped out sporting my RED patent leather pumps... to walk the dog!  LOL.  I know it sounds crazy, but I just couldn't put on those red flip flops this morning!  I have a blister from them, between my toes, from yesterday. OUCH!  What a sight that must have been to on-lookers. I kept whispering to my 70 lb., english bull dog, Paully, "Now don't go too fast. Gail has high heels on and can't go running with you today!" Do you think he listened?  Fortunately, he was a good dog.  But the long walk in high heels wasn't the best idea. I began thinking that if he decided to dart off quickly in one direction or another, how I could so easily twist an ankle or even worse, break a leg.  Then what?  A big RED cast?  LOL.

Yes... I need to adjust my footwear to fit the occasion.  

With that in mind, my daughter, Grace, insisted on providing the perfect RED ballet flats from Target. I rushed over to Target and to my surprise, the last RED pair available on the shelf were just my size! What a relief!

I began thinking about the word "A D J U S T M E N T S".  You know -- making little changes to better fit the situation.  I couldn't seem to get that word out of my mind, so I whispered up a prayer to God that he would help me see today's Red Shoe Lesson.

Well it wasn't quite what I expected. Later on in the day, I began to think about how many times in life I had "ADJUSTED" my actions, my conversation, my appearance, etc. around the people that I was with, in fear that I might come across as some type of "religious weirdo."  Often I've "toned it down a bit" because I thought this person, or that, just wouldn't understand. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I just didn't say anything because I didn't think people would receive it.

You know what God told me?  He said,
"You don't know the hearts and minds of people... so how can you possibly ADJUST accordingly?"

He's right.  I often don't know who people really are, let alone what they may be struggling with, what's truly in their heart or what they are thinking. I know as well as anyone that one's countenance is not always representative of what's going on inside them. But...

God does know the hearts and minds of men. 

And who am I to "adjust" God?  What did I say yesterday?  He's the Leader and I'm the Follower.  So I'm done with that.  He can adjust Himself if He deems it necessary. My job is to let God move through me authentically... not to erroneously filter out what I think people can't handle.

I'm not saying that we should uncaringly dump the fullness of our faith on people.  But as a Christian, I want people to see God in me. Remember that old saying... "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Yes, God will give us wisdom in all situations. But I must admit that I've (with good intentions) often used my own wisdom and clothed myself in Christ in a way that I thought was palatable to others. It's not that I didn't want people to know that I was a Christian. I love the Lord! And people know that. But there have been times that I guess I felt that people wouldn't get it.... that they wouldn't get me... that it would all be a bit overwhelming to them.

The more I thought about that today, however,  the sicker I began to feel. It was that dreadful feeling that perhaps in such times I had been grieving the Holy Spirit.  How many people could I have helped, encouraged, prayed for, but they didn't even recognize that I had that to offer? I found myself repenting to God and promising to allow Him to take control of this part of my life. I'm taking my hands off it!

So I stopped by a little restaurant  to drop off my book to someone I've recently befriended.  I had hoped to give it to her for Christmas, but wasn't able to connect with her in time. I had a quick bite... chatted with her some more... and discovered she was about to take a trip up north. Because it's such a quick read, I thought that my book (The Yellow Brick Road: A Woman's Journey to the Edge and Back)  would be perfect reading material for her trip.  Then... in my mind, I heard the voices. "You don't even know if she's a Christian." "It's too religious for her."  "What will she think?"  "She's not going to read that book!"

Was I being tested already to see if I would hold true to my proclamation?

Of course I was.  I quickly shut down those voices in my mind, and asked the Holy Spirit for help.

He reminded me that...  it isn't so much what is written in the book, but more about His ability to move through my story and specifically touch the lives of those reading it in very personal ways.

That's something only He can do.

It's not so much what we have to offer of ourselves, but what happens when God puts his special touch on our offerings.

 I believe they call that "The Anointing".

Talk again soon!
Gail