God The Cobbler …Hello Weekend Readers. My musings are about shoes. The reason why is because I stayed up the other night and the French Vogue Fashion show was on. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but it caught my eye with the strange clothing along with the craziest shoes ever.

As I watched the models come down the runway with 10-inch stilettos I found myself holding my breath and just waiting for a calamity but it didn’t happen. Then the chunky military shoes and odd clothing came down the runway; no upsets there but the models looked very uncomfortable, maybe it was the shoes? And then there was the modern-era-minimalism look and I cheered—they had flat shoes! The models seemed very comfortable; you could see it in their walk and even in their clothing and they were the few that actually smiled.

After years of ballet, I chucked my high-heels for comfort. I love shoes but—they have to be comfortable. I have no need to go against the law of gravity while walking in a pair of shoes! Who wants to break a leg? Flat shoes are my choice. I needed new hiking shoes so I went sleuthing for something comfortable but powerful enough to give me the ability to walk on paths that are especially mountainous, including the tough maneuvering on rocky trails. There were thousands to choose from, but I landed on one made in Sweden. I truly believe they are heaven-made! No twisting of my ankles, sturdy and best of all, water-proof.

All of this brings me to a passage in Habakkuk 3:17-19, which just happened to be my “Scripture for the Day” that I’ve subscribed to for years. It was set in the NIV translation, but as I perused other translations, the full story came out in Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible:

“Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen_though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted_though the sheep pens are sheepless  and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God!  I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer! I feel like I’m king of the mountain!”

I chuckled after reading this because my mind went to those models who painstakingly tried to traverse the runway in stilettos and military boots—their faces said it all “ouch!” But, for the prophet Habakkuk, we find comfort and joy because the Lord “makes our feet like a deer’s feet” and if any of you are familiar with deer, you know their incredible ability to run. It flies down mountains, can traverse rocks and rivers; even a 7ft fence won’t stop them. And God tells us he will do the same for us so we can walk in high places. What does that mean?

In life, we face high hills and low valleys. How often have we stumbled and fallen down? I doubt there is any one of us that hasn’t stubbed a toe, fell down a step, stumbled on a rocky path, etc. But how about “falling down” in difficult times? We get hurt in relationships, we get passed over for the job, our families can be so dysfunctional we rarely want to even see one another. Life gives us ups and down, and we can easily fall in those times of struggle. It’s like our “feet have been taken out from beneath us” and we are walking with stiletto shoes on a precarious mountain side! Go ahead—say it: “OUCH!”

When we face high hills or low valleys, the Prophet Habakkuk reminds us that God will “shod our shoes like the deer’s feet” so we can get up again and walk with confidence. Just imagine that for a moment—the Almighty God of the Universe will give us the right shoes to get back up again. Have you ever thought of God being a cobbler? Sounds silly, but it reminds us that our God loves us so much He stoops down to us to shod our shoes—humility amidst power we barely can understand.

Are you facing a high hill to climb? Get out your prayer mat and have a time with God. Let God’s power change your perspective from defeat to “the King of the mountain!” Take the walking shoes God has made for you and climb up that mountain or down the steep valley. God will be with you in every step because you are walking in God’s perfect shoes! AMEN.