The shoes pinched and ached.

I was miserable.

I loved the way they looked on my feet, but I didn’t know how much longer I could bear the pain. Thoughts of taking them off under the table consumed me, and I waited for the perfect opportunity when no one was looking to do just that. When I finally shed the shackles that bound my feet, relief escaped my lips in a sigh of ecstasy. I resisted the urge to rub them with my hands, (my feet that is 😉 considering we were surrounded by a multitude of friends and family.  That would get them talking!

I began to wonder what possessed me to buy these ill-fitting shoes in the first place.

I liked the way they looked on me!

How many times do we want what someone else has simply because we think it will look good on us? We seek a purpose for our lives. But instead of seeking what would fit best, we want what others have because it looks good - at least on the outside.

I recently published a post on the topic of purpose, and how my lack of one fits right in with God’s plan for me.  {Check that out here}  I’ve spent years trying to discover what I wanted to be when I grew up with not much luck at all. My activities would change and shift with the wind and halfway through my life, I still don’t have a clue, well not much of one anyway.

Matthew 11:29 says to put Jesus’ yoke upon our shoulders, that even though it may seem a bit heavy at first, it is perfectly fitted to our curves.

His purpose for us fits – perfectly

We don’t have to keep the receipt in anticipation of returning it

We don’t have to try on a few different sizes before finding the right one

It fits already.

I don’t have to look into the mirror to see if things are squeezing out from places they shouldn’t, to decide if the color goes with my complexion, or to determine if I need additional accessories. It is perfect just the way I’ve received it. It fits my personality, ability and disposition to a tee.

Nothing else is required.

If this is true, then why are we always looking at other’s gifts and wishing they were our own?  Here’s the thing - their gift wasn’t made for you, it most likely won’t hug your curves in quite the same way. Instead, it will probably feel  tight in places, and after a bit of time trying it on for size, you will need to take it off, like a pair of too-tight shoes.

Someone else’s “shoes” may look glamorous on the outside, but on the inside they most likely will pinch and rub, causing blisters and pain. We think we want them because they look beautiful and shiny, but if we are wincing all the while wearing them – how beautiful will they look then?

Your Purpose is waiting to be discovered – by you.

Won’t you seek it?  It will be curved in all the right places.

The perfect fit

-lisa