Cute Shoes

I saw the black, high-heel shoes in the store. So stylish. I tried them on--oh my goodness! They were way cute, way expensive, and way uncomfortable. Know what I did? I bought them anyway.

Cute wins out over cost and comfort any day, don't you agree?

Besides, my dear daughter-in-law said, " I think you should get them. They'll make you look taller."

Well, that's all I needed to hear. Because if you look taller, then you'll look smaller. Right? And everyone knows that thin is in.

Buying new shoes sounded like a good strategy to me.

I wore my way cute shoes to church the next day. I slipped them off before early service ended--my feet hurt already. I put them on during Sunday school since I teach a class. I took them off again as soon as I got into the car.

When I mentioned this little episode to my daughter-in-law, she said, "Oh, no problem. This is the kind of shoe that you have to break in."

Break in? Now, would that be like taming a wild horse? Looking back, I realize that I may have been more successful with a pair of horses than I was with these shoes.

Do you know how long it takes to "break in" a pair of two-inch, high arch, peek-a-boo-toe shoes by Liz?

A long time.

The shoes left red indentions on both feet, sometimes made my legs ache, and scraped the nail polish off of my big toe on my left foot. I'm serious.

But I had no intention of giving up on wearing those shoes. Because, remember, skinny is pretty; even if it's only an illusion.

And I so wanted to look pretty even if it hurt. Now, how crazy is that? Pretty crazy I'm thinking. And you are too, probably.

Imagine how silly I felt after studying these verses last week so that I could teach them on Sunday.

Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishble quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes ( 1 Peter 3: 3-4).

We're women. We want to look and to feel pretty. That's normal. Sometimes, though, we allow our culture to confuse us about the true definition of beauty.

According to today's culture we should strive to look like movie stars and super-skinny, super models.

However, God doesn't require these things. He defines beauty based on what we have in our heart. He looks for gentleness and sweetness and patience and love and compassion. These qualities are important to Him and make us beautiful in His eyes.

He doesn't place much value in our hairstyles, our clothes, or our jewelry.

But I still like to think that He smiles when we find a pair of way cute shoes!