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This is a
true story about what God
did for me, when I was
six years old.
~ The
Shoes ~
I grew up in a
family of seven. Two adults
and five children. When I was
growing up, money was scarce.
It was not uncommon to
receive
"hand-me-downs"
from our other siblings, or
from neighbors. While growing
up, we didn't expect new
things. We very simply new
that we just couldn't afford
things the way some people
could. We were never aware of
the fact that we were
"poor" until we got
a little older and the
"rich kids" began
telling us we were poor. I
never knew that other kids
didn't have small metal trash
cans holding up the ends of
their beds! When you're a
little child you just figure
that "everybody"
lives that way. There was no
reason to give it a second
thought.During a particular
time when I was growing up, I
can recall having received a
pair of shoes. They were
hand-me-downs so they didn't
fit quite right. I had
learned and grown accustomed
to stuffing them with
newspapers to get the
"right fit". Tennis
shoes stuffed with newspaper
and holes in the toes didn't
seem uncommon for me.
Children do tend to notice
things, though. They do
notice the kids with the
nicer things. I did notice
that some of the other little
girls didn't have holes in
their shoes. Some of the
little girls had black shiny
shoes with a little strap.
Ohhhhhh, how pretty they
were! But....only the rich
kids had nice things.
On the eve of my seventh
birthday, my mother asked me
what I wanted for my
birthday. There was only one
thing I really really wanted
more than anything. I wanted
a brand new pair of shoes.
"Mom, I want a brand new
pair of shoes. And I think
they cost seven
dollars.""Well,"
she replied, "I think
you should say a prayer for
those shoes. That's just an
awful lot of money, honey.
"Being raised in a
Christian home, I knew who
Jesus was. I knew that I
could talk to him, and He
would hear me.So,...I went
into my bedroom and closed
the door. I knelt down and
said, "Lord, its me.
Tomorrow is my birthday and
I'm going to be seven years
old. I would like a pair of
new shoes." Not knowing
that God already knows
everything, I began
describing to him these
shoes! "They are black,
real shiny and they have a
strap that buckles on the
side." That is pretty
much all I can remember about
the prayer. I didn't think
anymore about the prayer. All
I know is, the next morning
when I got up, I was going to
be seven years old! When it
came time to give me my gift,
mom handed me a small box. I
tore the wrapping paper off
and lifted the lid. I know
that I don't have to tell you
what was inside the box.
Because God never ever ever
lets his children down.
This gift from
God has touched my life so
dramatically. I will never
ever forget those shoes or
how God heard me or how God
answered my prayer. It may
seem like nothing to some
people, but that day, God let
me know that He would always
be there for me, because He
heard me, and He always
will!Thank you Father for
making yourself more real to
me than my own right arm.
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