Walking In Daddy's Shoes

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addy’s closest was always the most fascinating place to explore!  For a little guy, that closest was as big as a house.  There was room to enough to play in and room enough to hide in if the situation ever called for it.  The closet was divided into two different levels with a huge shelf separating the upper portion from the lower.  The upper part of the closet contained all of Daddy’s shirts and the bottom part held his suits, jeans, work pants, and his shoes.  Daddy kept his ties and belts hanging on a rack attached to the closet door so when the closet was open, everything was readily accessible, even to little hands!

Now daddy’s shirts, ties, and belts were always out of reach.  It’s hard for a little tyke to reach up and grab stuff off of a high rack on the door or to remove a shirt from way up high.  However, the lower level was in full reach and easily attacked!  I remember climbing into the closet, using it for a neat place to hide from my mom or my brother.  I also remember how daddy never liked for us to play in the closet because we always rearranged his shoes.  But I paid very little attention and hid in the closet anyway.

On several occasions I would select a pair of daddy’s shoes, put them on, and walk around the house.  They were obviously way too large for my little feet so I shuffled more than I walked, dragging my feet and the heels of those shoes all over the house.  I would leave scuff marks on the kitchen floors, something my mother always fussed about, and you could hear me coming from a mile away.  But it didn’t matter to me.  As long as I was wearing daddy’s shoes, I felt all grown up, I felt as if nothing was impossible, and daddy’s shoes gave me the right and the privilege of being just like him.

Ah, how often the joys and lessons of childhood soon escape us!  Not long after children enjoy walking in daddy’s shoes, enjoying the thrill and happiness of that moment, they grow up and begin stepping on his feet!  Instead of walking like daddy and walking with him, they get shoes of their own and they walk another path.  Sooner or later, though, they realize that daddy’s shoes represented more than just bigger feet, they also represented a deeper understanding and appreciation for the important things in life!  The bigger the shoes, the bigger the responsibility and the more need there is for a personal walk with God.

1 John 2:6 is a very short verse, but it gives us a great insight into being a Christian and walking with God on a daily basis.  John writes, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  Pay very close attention to the two claims John makes in this passage.  First, this passage is addressed to those who “claim” to be followers of Jesus Christ.  Many of us invoke the name of Jesus Christ or use the term Christian whenever it is convenient to do so.  We are quick to assure others that we are Christian but we need to understand exactly what that means.

John finishes his thought by emphatically stating that if we claim to be a Christian, we better “walk” like a Christian.  In other words, we better walk just as Christ did.  How did Jesus walk?  He walked in utter obedience to the commands of God.  His walk did not deviate from his words but it was in line with everything he claimed to be.  Every step Jesus took, every thought he had, every motive of his heart, and every word from his mouth had but one purpose—to glorify God. 

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his is how Jesus walked.  This is how Christians must walk.  However, it is impossible to walk like this on our own.  We must get into the prayer closet and hide, closing out the world and opening ourselves to God.  We must then emerge wearing, not our shoes, but our Father’s shoes.  They are too big for us, but they give us the strength we need, the confidence we desire, and the wonderful knowledge that there is someone much bigger than we who can take care of every need we have.  Are you walking in daddy’s shoes today?