Soles 4 Souls

On Sunday, our church started a new series:  “The ME I Want to Be”.  It was about giving of ourselves, realizing our blessings, and helping those less fortunate.  It was incredibly powerful.  At the end of the sermon, our pastor threw us a curveball:  he challenged us to act today – then he showed us a movie clip from a charity called, “Soles 4 Souls”.  This charity gives shoes to people all over the world.  I was shocked and saddened by the reality that so many children go without.  Something so simple – shoes – make such a difference.

So our pastor says to the congregation, ‘are you ready to be the me you want to be?’  At this point, I’m thinking, “he’s going to ask for a cash donation” and in my head I’m calculating how much we could give.  No.  He asks for the shoes off our feet! I was wearing my favorite pair of tennis shoes – my only pair of tennis shoes, and the most comfortable shoes ever!  Scott was wearing his Adidas; still so new that they glowed white.  Without hesitation though, we both took our shoes off, and walked to the front of the church to drop them in the basket.

After the service, we went to pick the boys up.  They told us about the kids without shoes that they had learned about, and saw me and Scott in our socked feet.  We told them what we had done, and asked them if they wanted to give their shoes too.  Now keep in mind, these are the shoes we just bought two months ago – those awful, tacky, flashing-lights, shoes.  They LOVED their shoes.  They wore them with incredible pride.

Those two little boys gave their beloved, ugly (but still somewhat new) shoes to the charity.

All four of us left church in our socks.  It was amazing.

Later that day, we went to the store and bought new tennis shoes.  The boys stuck with the ugly Sketchers that they love so much (but these ones don’t have lights), and Scott and I each bought a pair of  tennis shoes – the most comfortable tennis shoes ever!  As the cashier rung us up, I couldn’t help but thank God right there and then.  How truly blessed are WE, that we can give the shoes off our feet, then turn around and buy a new pair?

So here are their new shoes (without lights this time):

I don’t know whether the shoes Scott and I donated will bring joy to anyone’s lives.  But I DO know that those ugly, flashing-lights shoes that I loathed so much, will bring joy to two other little boys somewhere in the world.  I know that those little boys will cherish those hideous shoes as much as my boys did.  And knowing that, my cup runneth over.

If you would like to donate shoes, or learn more about ‘Soles 4 Souls‘, check out their website and find a drop box near you.