Heart and Sole

Bible Reading: Philippians 2:3-8

Tristan beamed as he picked up a shoe from the display table. “This is the kind I want, Mom! All the guys are getting shoes like this. The special soles reduce the pounding you get from the gym floor.” Tristan imagined what his friends would say if he showed up at practice wearing these shoes. He looked at his mother hopefully, but she was moving away.

“How about this one?” Mom held up a shoe similar to the one Tristan was holding.

Tristan made a face and shook his head. “Nobody buys that brand.”

Mom sighed in exasperation. “Tristan, I want to buy shoes you like, but I’m not going to pay a lot of money just so you can have a certain brand.”

“But I don’t want any other shoes!”

“Then you can get along with your old ones,” Mom said, and she hurried him out of the store.

“Who was at the door?” asked Mom later that night as she was cooking dinner.

“It was Joey,” Tristan said with a scowl. “He just came to show off his new skateboard. He just got one a few months ago, but he bought another one. He just got it to impress the guys.”

Mom looked surprised. “So we shouldn’t buy things just to impress others?”

Puzzled, Tristan shook his head. “Of course not.”

“But weren’t you wanting to do the same thing with those shoes today?” asked Mom. “Didn’t you want that brand just to impress other kids?”

Tristan looked at the floor. “Well…maybe.”

Mom sighed. “I understand what it’s like to want nice things, Tristan. But when we want to get things just to impress others, we need to remember where our worth comes from. People’s opinions of us can change from one day to the next–they’re fleeting, just like the things we own, which will eventually wear out or get lost or broken. But God’s opinion of us never changes. Our value comes from the love He showed us by sending Jesus to save us from sin.”

Mom put a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “Instead of trying to impress people with what you have, let them know you by the way you treat them and show them God’s love. They should know you by your heart, not your shoes.”

–Cynthia Y. Powell

How About You?
Do you want name-brand clothing and other things everybody else seems to have? It’s good to dress your best and look nice, but that shouldn’t be your focus in your interactions with others. Popular items come and go, along with what people think of you for owning them, but the way you treat others will stay in their minds long after. Instead of showing off things you have, show others the love you have in Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. (NIV) (Philippians 2:3 )

Today’s Key Thought:
Don’t dress to impress