Shoes That Will Work In Every Season

A Cup of Tea with Carol
Written By Carol McLeod

Life is a journey, isn’t it?

It’s a journey of ups and downs … of highways and back roads … of valleys and mountaintops … of the wilderness and of magnificent views.

Life can be experienced by running or walking … by meandering or by rushing … by skipping or plodding … and by dragging one’s feet or walking with a spring in one’s step.

Life is a journey, isn’t it?

Along the journey of life, it is so easy to get a pebble in one’s shoe and feel the pain for many, many miles.  Did you forget to take out that bothersome pebble?!

It is so easy to stub one’s foot on a large rock or on a tree root protruding from the ground and wonder if you have broken your toe … or your foot … or your leg. Let me assure you, as long as you are walking … I think you will be just fine!

Another serious mistake on the journey of life is choosing to put on the wrong shoes!  The shoes you wear can seriously impede your progress, affect your comfort level and even determine whether you will reach your desired destination or not!

I wouldn’t go mountain climbing in stilettos if I were you!

I wouldn’t try to cross over sizzling desert sands in snow boots!

I wouldn’t dare endeavor to meander along a rushing mountain stream with a pair of flip-flops purchased at the dollar store!

Life … it is a journey … isn’t it?!

Do you know what I am realizing at this season in my life?

It isn’t the circumstances along the pathway of life that determine one’s fulfillment.  One’s view of this extraordinary journey known as “life” is chiefly regulated by the manner in which each one of us chooses to experience this rare and exquisite pilgrimage that makes all the difference.

Do you stay in a place of disappointment over the circumstances that you are unable to control?  Does your heart live in a continual wilderness of “What ifs” and “If onlies”? Maybe you need to take that pebble out of your shoe.

Is there a gut-wrenching pain that continually skews your view of the grand life that you have been given?  Can you begin to believe that God’s presence is the only refreshing sustenance that you deeply desire as you travel your desert road?

I hope that you have chosen to walk through your wilderness with your hands in the air in a wild and spontaneous act of worship! I hope that the song of your heart is louder than the pain of the past.

I hope that you can choose today to enjoy this day!  There will never be another one quite like it.  So, roll up your sleeves, put the past behind … and get on with the business of living!

I hope that you have allowed worship to penetrate that place of disappointment in your life so that what used to skew your view has now become a place of exquisite glory!  Worship will change the panorama of your life from that of a desert wasteland to an unmatched pinnacle of God’s creative genius!

I know some folks who are currently going through a horrific life experience.  It’s something that would have knocked the wind out of my sails for many, many years. I can willingly admit that I am not sure that I would have embraced the emotional and spiritual fortitude that this family has displayed. Do you know what these extraordinary people did at their desert moment?  They worshipped … they fasted … they listened … and they prayed.

And now, as I observe their journey, I can tell you one thing … they are enjoying the view!  They are embracing a great challenge with hope … with joy … and with expectancy!

Because of worship … their dead end is not an impasse at all but it is an opportunity for the intervention of God!

A garden has miraculously sprung up where before there were only pebbles, tree roots and a sparse vista.

I don’t know what arid and infertile place you are walking through today but I can guarantee you that worship has the singular power to change everything!

I can assure you that you have a loving Father who has promised never to leave you or forsake you … and He has never broken a promise yet!

I hope that you will listen for the whisper of God along the unexpected trail that your life has taken and know that it is going to be fine … it’s going to be just fine!

And while you are dealing with twists and turns … swampy marshes and desert sands … rocky hills and garden paths … make sure that you have chosen appropriate footwear.

There is a pair of shoes that will work in every season, on every pathway and through every challenge.  Have you looked in your closet to make sure that you own a pair of these all-purpose, super-protective and very comfortable shoes?

“And having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace” – Ephesians 6:15.

If you are about to cross the desert … you need the refreshing promises of the Bible!

If you are climbing that mountain whose grade is ferocious and whose terrain is filled with stumbling rocks … you better make sure that you have the Word to stabilize your journey.

If the road you are currently traveling has been littered by the residue of violent storms and has been damaged by high winds … I hope that you have included the Bible in your rain gear!

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105

In order to truly enjoy your particular view of life … perhaps you should take a deep breath. 

Have you tried smiling at the future?!

Keep your gaze firmly planted on all that lies ahead.

Make sure that your hands are in the air.

Let the song of your heart explode all over the roadway of your life!

Listen for the whisper of God.

And don’t forget to pack your Bible!  You’ll never regret it!

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Carol McLeod
Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!
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