Growth

Where Do You Put Your Shoes?

Where do you put your shoes? Yep, I know, this is an odd question to ask, but my question is more important than you might think. I have a story about shoes for you. No, not cute high heels or the latest running shoes: this story is about your haven, your place of rest, or your “prayer closet.” Where do you get alone with the Lord? Do you go in the hallway, prayer room, or day room? Where do you get on your knees and spend time with the Lord?

The following is a story that I heard last summer while working as a camp counselor, and it is a story that changed my view of spending time with Jesus. I noticed that one of my fellow staffers always removed his flip-flops before he prayed. Out of tremendous curiosity, I asked him the reason behind this act.

He told the story of an old man he had met on a missions trip. Every night before he went to sleep, the old man would take off his shoes and shove them as far as he possibly could under his bed. This seemed like a silly and inconvenient thing to do, but his reason for doing it was convicting and unforgettable.

The old man had explained, “I put my shoes under my bed, where I cannot reach them, so that every morning before I start my day, I must get off my bed and reach for my shoes. It guarantees that every single morning, I begin my day right where I need to be—on my knees. Just like I cannot begin my day without my shoes, I cannot begin my day without some time with my God. Being on my knees is the perfect position in which to pray to Jesus. That spot next to my bed, on my knees, is my place of rest where I meet with the Lord. Keeping my shoes under the bed keeps my mind focused on Him every single morning.”

Now I’m not saying to go right now and put all of your shoes under your bed, but I am asking if you have the same dedication as that old man. Do you have a place where every morning you meet with the Lord? Where is your haven of rest? Or another way to put it is: “Where do you keep your shoes?”

“Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” (Psalm 66:20)

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The thoughts and opinions expressed in Life in the Nest are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Pensacola Christian College.

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Major English

Favorite Bible verse: 1 Corinthians 15:10

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