A Rather Odd Snack

The other day I was in my office,doing what I do, playing with a little boy. He was probably not more than 18 months or so. I was explaining to his mom the expectations of this and that and the plan of treatment here and there. Then, as I began the conclusion to the visit, which usually includes an "Anything else you can think of you wanted to talk about today?" The little boy's mom and I looked down and saw his big sister. She had been walking around the room, playing and talking to herself during the visit - generally having fun and staying out of the way - which to a mother of two, is an extremely good thing!

Well, it turns out, during the concluding moments of the visit, she had decided to have a little snack. After all, she was entitled...I am not always running on time and doctor's offices can certainly stimulate an appetite! So there she was and her mom and I were both flabbergasted to see what she had chosen as her snack.

She stood there, smiling broadly, chewing on the sole of her shoe! Now, this is a great mom, and as soon as she was over the shock of it, she got the shoe from the mouth to the foot and all was fine...after all there are dirtier things in doctors offices, but we won't go there.

But this whole thing got me thinking...there are so many times that I eat shoes! Stay with me here. All around me are great things to eat, healthy foods, junk foods, candy, pizza, pumpkin bread, cheesy eggs, cereal (you just have to know me to understand that one!) and on and on. Yet there I stand, gnawing on a dirty, worn down and downright soggy shoe! What I really need is some yummy food, but for some reason I really have a hard time leaving the shoe.

You see, I spend so much time applying my energy to things that not only don't matter, but have little if any value at all in the grand scheme of things. I spend time watching hour after hour of TV. I spend tons of time worrying. I spend countless hours arguing with people over doctrine and the right way to do this or that or the other. I work extra so that I can buy more. I spend time discussing whether this money should be spent to do this project or that project or whether it should be saved...gnawing on shoes!

All the while right on the road to my office, day after day after day, sits a wonderful couple, who we helped out last night, who really needed some help. While helping them I feasted on real food! No shoes there!

All the while, in the rooms in my house, there are people whose needs sometimes go unnoticed - a feast waiting to be eaten - and why? - because I am preoccupied with the sole of the shoe I am working on at the moment.

And you know what else, I have no idea what deep hurts and needs the people in the houses around Don and Sue Peters may hold...or the people in the houses around mine either for that matter. I am just too busy.

But caring for real people, really noticing them, learning to love them and appreciate how wonderful they and the world around us are,really seeing what is important about life - this is when we leave the shoes and move on to the fried chicken!

I pray for you and me - that we will get off our shoe habit and start eating and drinking deeply of the "food" that really matters in this world. This is the kind of life that Jesus lived - a savoring one.