Comfortable Shoes
by Angela Weir
After a busy day, there’s nothing I enjoy more than putting on a comfortable pair of shoes, preferably my rather elderly slippers, and sitting down before a blazing fire. I guess that there are many of us like that. We like shuffling around in comfy shoes, although they probably aren’t very good for our feet. New shoes sometimes pinch a bit, until we have worn them in a little. They may even raise a blister or two.
Sometimes sin is rather like a comfy pair of slippers. We’re used to it. It’s a habit that we’re comfortable with, a behaviour pattern that’s part of our lives. It may even be something we don’t recognise as sin, or something we excuse as a behaviour that’s the result of past hurts. But is it good for us and for those around us? Are we actually hurting others by our bad or unpredictable behaviour? None of us likes change. Sometimes it can be painful, so we resist it. We make excuses for ourselves, such as, “I’ve always been like this,” “I can’t help how I react, because I’ve been hurt”, “People know me well enough by now, and they excuse me.”
It’s time we got some new shoes. We need to check our behaviour and make sure that God approves of it – remember that He can’t look on sin. And if He doesn’t approve, then we have to make the changes. If we’ve been hurt we need to forgive those who’ve hurt us, release the pain, and then examine our behaviour patterns. At first the changes will feel unfamiliar and maybe a bit awkward, but as we persist they will gradually become our accustomed reactions.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me that I sometimes excuse my bad behaviour or don’t even recognise it as such. Please help me to know when I’m displeasing You, and so change my habits. In Jesus’ name, I ask it. Amen.
Angela Weir has been associated with Ellel Ministries from the very beginning, first as an associate member of the ministry team and later as an associate teacher. She trained as an actress before moving to Cumbria, where she taught drama in a girls’ school. She now teaches and ministers at various Ellel Centres.
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