Day 7

As you can imagine, with the goal of The Red Shoe Project being to:

 FOCUS on THE POWER AND PRESENCE of GOD in MY LIFE, 

I have been spending quite a bit of time in "My Secret Place".  So I've become a little bit of a "house mouse".  My Secret Place with God is primarily my living room.  It's there, that I have privacy to pray, to study the Word of God, to read, to worship... even to dance, should I get a little excited!

Where in the past I've found myself drawn outside the doors of my home for one reason or another, now I am finding myself continually wooed into my living room... to seek him more.

I had an early appointment this morning, so I was up and out the door... wearing my RED shoes, of course. It was about 1:30 before I was finally free, so I stopped by a little diner for a bite to eat.  I pulled up a chair at the lunch bar and pulled out a book I just started reading entitled, "Welcome Holy Spirit".  (How appropriate, don't you think?)

The author uses an example given by Dennis Bennett, an Episcopal priest, who shares a story comparing the Holy Spirit to a Guest who comes to your home:

"While you are in the kitchen preparing refreshments, Bennett said, your guest sits quietly in your living room waiting for you to come and talk with Him.  He doesn't barge into your kitchen and say, "I am waiting for you." Instead, he may wait for hours until you sit down and talk with him.  He is a total Gentleman and does not force Himself on anyone.  The Holy Spirit is just such a Gentelman.  He will not intrude into our lives or force His presence upon us. But He will stay ever so close to those who desire His company".

So I've heard many renditions of that story over my almost 30 years as a Christian. And I've always agreed wholeheartedly with what it has to say. And I've always felt that was exactly what I was doing. But... for some reason, reading it this time, in that little diner, was different. Tears welled up in my eyes. A heaviness rested on my chest. 

How many times did I invite the Holy Spirit to come into my house 

and leave him waiting in the living room of my heart? 

Of course it was always with good intention and great expectation, yet for whatever reason, ( and there are many, I'm sure), I wandered off to the kitchen and forgot to come back.

All this time, I've had Access to HIM, 

and somehow found myself focusing on menial things, 

that now I can't even remember. 

Sound familiar?  Isn't it like Dorothy, who could have gone home on Day 1, but never thought to focus on those Ruby Slippers? to figure them out? to look into them deeper? She went through that entire journey --  And yes, there were great take-aways -- BUT what she was seeking was right there on her feet. And she never stopped to just focus on the SHOES!

 Now I wasn't worried about people seeing the RED shoes on my feet... that was nothing in comparison to the woman at the lunch bar who's heart was exploding with grief. If I rubbed away my tears, my mascara would run and I look like a raccoon. Not to mention that if it turned out to be a never ending waterspout of tears, I'd have a red nose and red eyes to match my red footwear! Somehow I held it together, temporarily, until I got to my car, called a friend, and prayed it all out.

(Am I repenting again, already? And I thought this project was just about a blog!)

You know, I can't change what I did yesterday... 

let alone what I've done in 30 years of yesterdays,

 but I can change Today.

The Bible says, "There's a time for everything". (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  And NOW just happens to be My Time. My time to stop and look down at my feet and inquire about the Red Shoes... To ask, "Just how do these Red Shoes work, anyway"?  And to sit down and examine them.  To turn them around and upside down.  To figure out what I'm missing. To read the directions... over an over, if I have to.

I'm not leaving this place, or this project, until I "get it"...  until I "get Him"!  Until I understand Him so well that I can walk in true partnership with Him.

Thanks for taking this journey with me!

Gail

Day 6

Today was Sunday.  My day of REST. So I jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed, and rushed out of the house in my RED heels, just in time to make it to the 10:30 service.  LOL.  RUSH. RUSH. RUSH. Even on the Sabbath?

Once I returned home, off came my church clothes, along with my fancy RED footwear.  I pulled on some comfy sweats with a cozy pair of Granny's hand-made socks - knitted into a crazy RED striped pattern.

I was tired today.  It's been a GREAT week in RED SHOES! But I was a little drained from it all.  I spent the afternoon listening to some great worshipful music and lounging around the house, whispering here and there quiet words of praise and prayers to The God who lives within me. 

I've come to find that God views our weekly Day of Rest to be of utmost importance.  He wants us to consistently take 1 day out of 7 to relax and restore. That isn't always easy for me. In this world of RUSH, RUSH, RUSH, who has time to REST?

But His Word is True and as I focus on The Holy Spirit, I am learning to understand that there's always a reason for what God does.  Not to mention that He created me, so who knows better what I need to function at my best throughout the week? 

With that, I am trusting and obeying and rearranging... I'm putting His Way in front of  My Way.  Not next month.  Not next week.  Not tomorrow. Today.

Tomorrow starts a new week in RED Shoes, but right now... I'm relaxing in Christ, wearing my striped RED Socks and enjoying this incredible peace that only the Prince of Peace can give.

Gail

PS Check out the short clip below on REST by Bill Johnson, Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA

   

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