Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.
I recently visited a hospital, and upon leaving I walked to a nearby Dunkin to get my favorite coffee in the world, pumpkin. On the way back, there was a homeless man sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk in what appeared to be a hospital gown. What I noticed most was he did not have shoes on his feet. The bottoms were a powdery white, similar to the substance transferred when walking on concrete. As I approached him, I had the desire to give him my shoes. They are my favorite shoes and given the color, would have stood out like a sore thumb on his feet but they were shoes that he did not have.
As I approached, I was distracted by the busyness of the area, and I was trying to focus as I walked through the crowd to find my way to the parking garage. As I passed him, the thought crossed my mind again, give him your shoes. However, the next thought was, but then I will have to walk through the dirty parking garage without shoes on – and they are my favorite shoes. I never gave the man my shoes that day. I can’t tell you how many times I have regretted not responding to that prompting from God. I serve the homeless all the time. How could I have let this moment slip by me? How could I have wanted to keep those shoes – they were gifted to me in the first place.
Despite how I have committed my life to answering God’s call to serve, I still have moments where I miss the mark. I know God still loves me, but I am disappointed I let a moment pass without sharing the blessings He provided to me. As I write this, my heart still aches for the man without the shoes.
As we go through our day today, let’s pay attention to the prompting in our heart and look for moments where we can bless others with our blessings from God. Disregard all that is around you, slow your pace, and respond to what He wants you to do. You may find that the shoe fits perfectly.
