Size 7, Test of Faith, Heaven Sent

It was a very simple pair of shoes. Size 7, brown, flat, and closed toe  - good for both casual and formal occasions. Yes it may not be branded but what’s special about that shoes is how it came to me. Yes, it did come to me.

I was 16 years old then, a high school senior in one of the well respected institutions of learning in the country. We are not well off, in fact, the only reason I got to study in UST was because of my uncle, who was kind enough to pay for my tuition fee. My father is a pastor of a very small church. And with most small churches, the pastor doesn’t get any monetary support from the church.

It was a Saturday night, and I was preparing my things for the next morning. As I picked up my trusty pair of Sunday shoes, I could only think of one word. Perhaps if that pair of shoes could utter a single word, it will shout “retirement” right at my face. Then I was reminded of what my dad said about prayer. He said that whenever I pray I need to be very specific. Because the Lord is very specific, according to Number 14:28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you.‘ (English Standard Version).  And as an additional ground, God reminded me of His promise in Mark 11:24 ‘I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.’ (New Living Translation). So right after wiping my shoes clean, I found myself uttering a simple prayer. I asked God for a new pair of Sunday shoes – brown, flat, closed-toe, and size 7. On top of that, I also asked the Lord for a pair of new and white rubber shoes for my little brother. Yes, I made it clear to God that I wanted new shoes, lest He gives us hand-me-downs. Not that I don’t accept hand-me-downs, but hey, if you’re already going to believe God for something, might as well ask for something new, after all He owns the universe.

Monday came, and no shoes. Tuesday, no shoes. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and finally Saturday night and still no shoes. It was a test of faith. So do I go to church the next day with my old pair of shoes that looks as if it’s smiling back at me? Yes, the soles have long made it clear that they’re giving up on me, and I only had it glued so many times. Or do I trust God to carry out His promises? I could hear the voice of the devil telling me that it’s all worthless, that my God doesn’t care after all. It was tempting to believe those lies and feel remorse towards the Lord. But I stood my ground. I refused to believe that my God will fail me.

It was already 930pm and Sunday school the next day starts at 1oam. My little brother is already fast asleep, and I tried to will myself to stay awake to wait for my dad, who went to a Bible study. I was already half asleep when he arrived, which was already sometime past 10pm. He went up to his room to change, leaving me to lock the door and turn off the lights. I was about to turn off the lights and go back upstairs when my dad went down again and pointed to a blue plastic bag. It says SM, with a receipt stapled to it. My heart skipped a beat. Dad said he was on his way home when he boarded this empty jeepney. After he paid his fare, he saw the plastic bag next to his right foot.

I excitedly took off the staple wires and my eyes almost popped out when I saw 2 shoe boxes inside. I took out the box of Rusty Lopez first and saw exactly what I prayed for – brown, size 7, flat, and closed toe shoes. I was speechless. Then I took out the other box. A pair of white Skater’s shoes met my gaze. We immediately woke up my little brother and had him wear the shoes, it was a perfect fit! I was in tears and I was floored. The God of the universe just answered my prayer.

It was a special pair of shoes, one that taught me about faith. And it literally started my adventure with God. One after another I started believing God’s promises for bigger things in my life. In fact, a year after I got that pair of shoes, on my 17th birthday, when my friends in the church treated me out in McDonald’s at Quezon Avenue, I asked God for a debut party at The Great Eastern Hotel, something next to impossible given our circumstances. But God is faithful to His promises. I had my 18th birthday at the said hotel the following year.

God used that simple pair of shoes to open my eyes and tell me that He is a truly awesome God. Too bad that pair has long been retired. But that’s fine, because God has blessed me with lots of pairs this time and I know I can always ask Him for a new pair any time.

***photo taken from the internet

Tags: God, heaven sent pair of shoes, personal relationship with the Lord, test of faith