Gotta Be Da Shoes - Where Sneaker Culture Meets FaithSample

Happy Feet

If our feet aren’t happy, it can affect the rest of our bodies. On average, a person will walk around 115,000 miles in their lifetime. Yet, we barely pay attention to our feet (except the shoes we dress them in). Health professionals know that feet are mirrors of health. Many times, signs of diabetes, arthritis, and circulatory or neurological diseases often appear first in your feet. But, do you know the number-one cause of foot problems? Wearing shoes that don’t fit properly!

If you have ever worn a broken-in pair of Air Maxes, Nike Foams, or Yezzy’s, you know the feeling of happy feet. It’s comfortable. The shoe is formed to the contours of your feet and the cushioning is superior. We love shoes that look good and feel good. But, all of us have some shoes that look good but don’t feel good, and we still wear them, right? This scenario shines a light on a major cultural problem. We’d rather look good than feel good. We dress up on the outside, but the inside is falling apart. We look great on social media as we’ve become professionals in masking our pain. We hide our hurt. We filter our frustration. We delete our discomfort. We’re spending more time than ever on screens, and this has taught us how to be incredible imposters.

We act like we’re happy because we want to be happy. We all want some happy feet, but how do we get a pair of those? There is a story in Luke 7 that gives us some answers. Jesus was invited to this house party at Simon’s house. To get the full punch line you have to understand their culture was huge on hospitality. When Jesus arrived he was ignored and received no welcome.

Things got tense when the town prostitute walked into the party and then went over to Jesus and started pouring expensive perfume on his feet. Even the host of the party said, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Jesus responded and called out to Simon in his own house. He rebuked him for offering no hospitality and pointed out that this woman did instead. Jesus told the crowd, “She was forgiven many, many sins, so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” Then Jesus spoke to the woman and said, “I forgive your sins. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” This woman had discovered true happy feet.

Shoe Game Steps:

1. What pair of shoes do you have that look good but don’t feel good?
2. What are some areas where you need forgiveness and a fresh start?
3. Would you say your spiritual feet are currently happy?