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BEAUTY TIP #17- Wear Other People’s Shoes

Posted: June 18, 2010

“I could never wear someone else’s shoes” a friend of mine said when I suggested she try shopping for shoes at a Consignment Store. “Her face grimaced as she finished her disgusted retort, “that just grosses me out”.

Ok each to their own, but unfortunately with our present tumultuous economy, we have to find ways to cut back and I was trying to find a practical way to help. After all, we are not like the Israelites who wandered through the desert for forty years and their shoes never wore out. Our shoes do wear out, and quite quickly in fact.

I just finished speaking on the topic of “If the Shoe Fits…” and my thoughts have been on shoes lately.  It is evident that for some unknown crazy reason, women love shoes.  The whole concept is bizarre if you think about it. Shoes are fitted onto the lowest, most unseen part of our bodies, the part that walks through rain, mud, gravel and sometimes snow. The get dirty, sweaty, scuffed and sometimes make our feet hurt; yet we can’t help ourselves. When we see a gorgeous pair of shoes on display, we are drawn in like a magnet to try them on and see what they will do to make us more beautiful.

Yet there are times in our life when we do have to wear other people’s shoes. Elvis Presley was so inspired by the idiom “walk a mile in my shoes”, that he sang a song about it. The first part goes like this:

If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour, if we could find a way
To get inside each other’s mind
If you could see you through my eyes
Instead your own ego I believe you’d be
I believe you’d be surprised to see
That you’ve been blind

Walk a mile in my shoes
just walk a mile in my shoes
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Then walk a mile in my shoes

This is what this idiom means to me:

1. We all see the world through different lenses. This vision transpired by what we learned from our parents, teachers, siblings, T.V., magazines, neighbors, aunts and uncles.
2. We disagree not because something is right or wrong, our visions are simply diverse.
3. We want everyone to love and accept us for who we are.
4. Criticizing, accusing or abusing someone makes us feel better about ourselves.
5. When someone hurts us, disagrees with us, puts us down or rejects us, we become angry and want to hurt them back.

 

In order for any of us to feel compassion instead of anger, we have to push aside all pride, disgust, judgment, prejudice and step inside the other person’s; shoes. When we see life through their eyes for a day, or a mile, we will begin to feel their pain, struggles, disappointments and obstacles they have encountered.

When we begin to accept each other, I believe this will turn our anger and judgment into compassion and joy. Jesus always knows what he’s talking about, He tells us “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom. 15:7, NIV).

“Walking a mile in someone else’s muddy, sweaty, worn out shoes, is the only way for any of us feel incredible joy and to become beautiful from the inside out.

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