Who's shoes are you walking in????

How many times have we made a comment about someone else and the situation they are in without really realizing that we've never walked in their shoes. The other day Katie was playing around with her daddy's boots. Hence the picture. She looks cute in them.

But did you ever stop to think that we really don't know what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes? We criticize other's for something they may have done when we have never been there and we don't really know what they are going through. There was a lady in our church one time who had a little girl living with her. This little girl had been there for quite a long time but became so bad they were unable to care for her any longer. They had to find her another place to live so they could have some peace in their home. A lot of people criticized this family for the decision they made when none of them had lived in their home and knew nothing about the situation. That seems to be the case with most people who comment and gossip about others. They don't know what the real reason is behind what may or may not have been done.

When I saw Katie in her daddy's boots it was comical and cute. She looked adorable and yes I grabbed the camera and took this picture. But it set me on a train of thought that I could not get away from. Her daddy's boots were way too big of course and she just kept teetering one way and then another until she could no longer stand then she would fall. She would get up and try it again only to repeat the same thing. So many times we try to walk in someone else's shoes and we end up tripping up. Maybe the shoes are too small and we are "bigger" than the situation and could do better but won't try. Or the reverse may be the case. They are so big that we get lost in the situation that we should have never attempted to do in the first place. Sometimes we try to walk in others shoes because we are envious of what they may have or we want to be popular like they are. There are so many reasons why people try to wear other peoples "shoes."

I for one have been thinking hard about this and trying to understand within myself that I can't walk in someone else's shoes without having some very ugly results. At the same time, I can't criticize another for something they are going through when I have never been in their shoes. I believe as Christians we need to start holding up our brother's and sister's in the Lord and praying for them when we see them struggling with their "shoes" instead of gossiping and criticizing. And whatever we do, keep the "shoe size" that God has give us and we will be more effective Christians for Him. And when it is time, He will increase our size to suit our needs and to make us more pleasing to Him.