Day 42

Day 42 of The Red Shoe Project started with a whisper to God for "HELP" in meeting some very big needs.  Before I knew it, phone calls were being made, left and right, to tow truck businesses, mechanics, dealerships and (most importantly) to my good friend who knows everything about Cars.  I, on the other hand, know "zero"... "nothing"... "nada" about automobiles! And I'm not afraid to admit that on a scale from 1 to 10... (10 being the highest), I'm below a "1" when it comes to interest level.  Cars are just not my thing!


With that said, it should be obvious that "Car Issues" are a weak spot for me, and I feel vulnerable, to say the least.  I could feel my breathing getting heavier and heavier as my head began spinning amongst all the "Car Conversation".  Yikes! I was starting to get a little woozy.  It seemed that all the options that people were giving me regarding my broken down vehicle were less than favorable.




Then... out of the corner of my eye...  I caught a glimpse of those RED SHOES my mother had bought me the other night.  They look like RED "Tom's Shoes" only extra bright and  glittery!  WOW! do they stand out! -- so much so, I was hesitating to wear them in public.

BUT right at that moment of "Total Car Overload"... the Lord spoke to me:

"Ok... so you've looked at all of Man's options

and none of them quite work...

Now look for Me is the situation.  

Look for the RED SHOES!

Find My open door... My path."

Hmmmmm. Here's God reminding me that the whole purpose of The Red Shoe Project is to see Him in my everyday life!  Ok...  so why do I need to be reminded of that?  Isn't this Day 42?   Am I not well into the transformation of this whole thing becoming a habit?   There's a lesson here:  We can be totally immersed in something and still miss the whole point of it! 

So I immediately popped on those RED SHOES to boldly keep GOD at the forefront of my mind today!  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  I do believe that God's giving me direction.  He's telling me to look beyond the circumstances in front of me and seek His way.  Ok,  I can start there.  An old Christian Chorus popped into my mind... "God will make a way."  I quickly pulled it up on YouTube.  --Very "dated", but the message is "right on!"

"God will make a way, when there seems to be no way.

He works in ways we cannot see.

He will make a way for me.

He will be my guide, Hold me closely to His side.

With love and strength for each new day...

He will make a way!  He will make a way!"

That was only the beginning.  My morning devotional confirmed that. Later a friend came to pick me up and confirmed it again. And even later in the evening, at Bible Study Group, the message was confirmed again.   I love "confirmations" from God.  He doesn't leave me floundering in bewilderment... questioning if I've really heard from Him or not.  Even now, if that weren't enough, I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures,  Proverbs 3:5&6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight."

"Make your paths straight" means He'll remove the obstacles that are in your path so that your goal can be accomplished. 

So now what?  What do I do as I look for God's open door?

 Ephesians 6:13 says

"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, 

so that you will be able to resist in the evil day,

 and having done everything, to stand firm. 

If you've been following me... You know that this is serious business!!!  I am not giving up!  I'm believing that there is a Powerful Testimony that will come out of this!  So, as this evening comes to a close, I am imagining my feet in RED military boots and me, having done all I could,  STANDING FIRM, looking forward, with anticipation,  to what God has in store for me tomorrow!

Watching for God's Open Door,
Gail

Day 41

As I woke up on Day 41 of  The Red Shoe Project I wiggled my toes, painted RUBY RED, and tuned in to my favorite internet preacher... Bishop T. D. Jakes at the Potter's House.  He delivered an anointed message based on Matthew 25:14-28, The Parable of the Talents. 

Here I was on a Sunday, sitting on a bed in my Mom's guest room, having church. LOL. I must admit that this is rarely my 1st choice, but God delivered BIG time.  I love that about The Red Shoe Project... it's noticing God's Power and Presence WHEREVER you are!

The Bishop's message was on the gifts God has given us... along with the opportunity we have to make the most out of them.  It's funny, because right before I "tuned in" for church, I was writing in my journal about Excellence... and the idea of "Pouring oneself out as a drink offering unto the Lord."  I've always admired people who under the anointing of God, extend their unique gifts into the realm of the Divine.  To watch that is more than moving... It's Awesome!

Listening to Bishop Jakes was no disappointment.  As He operated in His own unique and anointed gift, I was challenged to take a look at where I stand before God in regards to the gifts He's given me and what I'm doing with them.  There was one thing, in particular that The Bishop said that really struck me:

"You are burying what you should be exposing 

and exposing what you should be burying."

Over a year ago, God had basically said this very same thing to me.  He told me that I was clothing myself in a way that I thought was palatable to the people around me. In other words... I was presenting myself as a watered down Christian so as not to offend anyone.  But... God then told me that there were people who needed to hear my message... They were looking for me, and they couldn't find me because I was all covered up.  It's time to "Get naked!" and Be who I really am in Christ!

It's taken God a good year to unwind me and unwrap me.  I am now reflecting who I am in Christ more authentically than ever before.  There's still more work to be done... but I'm well on my way.  

As to my gifts... Since I gave my heart to the Lord in 1983,  I've always had a strong connection with Christ, an ability to hear his voice, and a passion to talk about what He's doing in my life. Finally, I am working those opportunities for His Glory by Blogging, Writing, Speaking, Facilitating and Teaching... specifically about Him.  

As I continue to move forward on this Yellow Brick Road, it's my hope and prayer that lives will be touched by Him... that those seeking a Divine Connection with God will find it... that those looking to live an abundant life for Christ, without all the entanglements of religiosity, will see how it's done and join me.  Literal RED SHOES are optional, of course!

What about you?  Do you know your specific purpose in life?  What are your unique gifts? Are you using them for God?  I don't ask those questions lightly.  The process of discovering the answers to those questions can take years... But we all need to start that journey sometime. I'm not sure we'll ever be truly happy until we are living in our true purpose.

Who would have ever thought that mine happens to be in RED SHOES!

Gail

Day 40

Day 40 of  The Red Shoe Project  found me calling a tow truck, close to 75 miles away from home.           Anticipated? -- Never.   Inconvenient? -- Always.   Frustrated? -- Not really.  Here's where the rubber meets the road. It's time to be TESTED on all the things I'm writing each day. 

  

Let me just say this:

  ALWAYS expect to be tested 

on what you've learned, when it comes to God.  

Especially if you have been talking about it!

There hasn't been one thing, ever, that I've spoken about God, or for God, that I haven't been personally put to the test on.  That's just the way it is.  You can TALK about God and The Bible all you want... but does what you say really work? You'll never know unless you're tested on it.  

But don't you want to know for sure...  that it works?   I know, I do.  But do we want to be tested?  Ahhhh!  That's often a different story.  We are so afraid... to fail.  And it shouldn't be that way! 

It's funny because it's not so much that we're testing God to see if He'll come through for us.  But instead, it's usually that WE are the ones being put to the test by God, Himself.  Will we hang in there... to the end... to see if God will come through? ...to see if God's Word is true?  So often, we drop out long before God even shows His hand.   That's a sad thing... 

More often than not, 

it's our lack of faith that stops everything.   

(Hmmmm.  That's something to really think about.) 

One thing we can be glad about is this:  God allows us to re-test!  
Mistakes should not be so frowned upon.  They merely show us where we stand on the matter at hand.  So, for example...take Faith.  Just when you start thinking, "I'm strong in my faith!"  Something will come along, and you'll realize that you're bailing out pretty quick.  You think, "How did that happen? I thought I was so strong in my faith."

So, here's the benefit:  Now you know exactly how weak you are and what muscles you need to strengthen, so that you'll do better on the next test.  

Many tests have to be taken many times. But before you know it,  your failing grade becomes a passing grade. Then you are going from a passing grade to a better grade, a B... then a B+...  then an A... and eventually you are passing with flying colors... you're a Superstar!

With that, I have decided to spend a few more days with Mom, while my car sits at the Dealership waiting for Monday morning to roll around.  As I look at my RED SHOES sitting by her front door, instead of being anxious and uncomfortable, I am enjoying my time with her, praising God that my car had problems in her driveway, and not out in the middle of nowhere. I'm believing that God has a plan... and it's working out exactly the way He wants it to.

Gail

Day 39

This 39th Day of  The Red Shoe Project  finds me traveling.  I'm visiting my Mom, (she's the one that knits me all the handmade RED socks), and today she insisted on buying me a pair of casual and comfortable, glittery RED shoes.  THANKS MOM!

I love visiting my Mom!  We have a wonderful time together and it's always a time of rest and relaxation for me.  Today, it got me to thinking about the old time hymn, "It is well with my soul."

I guess if there's any place that one should feel secure, calm, protected, loved, and at ease, it should be at home with their Mom and Dad.  But as we all know, Life can bring some pretty devastating storms our way... sometimes when they're least expected... and they can really throw you for a loop!

I remember a time, (right before my divorce), when it literally felt like waves crashing all around me.  I was getting knocked down from every direction.  For a moment there, I didn't seem to know if I was coming or going.  The ground seemed to be crumbling under my feet.

 I'd love to tell you that evenso I was able to hold my head high and shout... "Yes! but it's well with my soul!" But no... that's not how the story goes.

 In reality, I was standing in a church and they began to sing this old hymn, and as I lifted up my hands towards heaven, I thought to myself, "No! It is not well with my soul!"  I was so broken. I felt like everything was falling apart! Maybe that's not what you want to hear, but that's what happened.  I do remember falling to my knees before the end of the night, and God pouring out His unlimited Peace  upon me, in a way that I can't event begin to explain.

 That's why this song means so much to me.  Since then, there's not a day that's gone by, that it isn't well with my soul. And the contrast of how it feels is night and day.  I'm very thankful for the Peace that comes in having a Divine Connection with Christ! - A peace about eternity, as well as a peace for my everyday life, here and now, in calm weather, and in crashing storms.

"And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Philippians 4:7

And now, having removed my RED SHOES from my feet, I lay my head down to rest, thanking God for His peaceful presence, in my heart, my mind, and in my soul!

Gail