{"id":1437,"date":"2016-11-19T13:42:18","date_gmt":"2016-11-19T19:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1437"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:02:42","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:02:42","slug":"shoes-at-my-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/11\/19\/shoes-at-my-door\/","title":{"rendered":"Shoes At My Door"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shoes<\/a><\/p>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/h3>\n

When we first moved to Wisconsin, I was surprised to find that, when people came to visit, they always left their shoes at my door. I soon learned that Wisconsinites shed their shoes, just like they do their coats, when they enter someone\u2019s home. Children learn to do this almost before they begin to walk. In fact, around here, taking your shoes off when you cross a threshold ranks right up there with the \u201cyes ma\u2019am\u2019s\u201d and \u201cno ma\u2019am\u2019s\u201d of the South: good when you do it, really rude when you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

At first this shoe-at-the-door thing didn\u2019t make much sense. But that was because we moved up here in July. By December, the reason became obvious: snow. Well, not just snow – \u00a0the sand and slush and salt and mud that accompany the winter months. Taking shoes off keeps everyone\u2019s houses from being dirtied by the outside mess. This is such an ingrained habit in our Northwoods culture that, even when the weather is nice and the streets are clear, everyone still sheds their footwear when they come inside.<\/p>\n

We each have some mud on our lives, especially this time of year. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Extra commitments, financial concerns, worry about family, renewed grief, loneliness. Some of the stuff is obvious while other parts – like the stirrings of old hurts – \u00a0stay hidden beneath the surface.<\/p>\n

As we step into each other\u2019s lives, wouldn\u2019t it be cool if we would remember to first take off our \u201cmuddy shoes\u201d? That might mean setting aside happenings from earlier in the day: a difficult circumstance, or unpleasant encounter, or hurry or stress. Maybe it means withholding judgment, extending grace, forgiving, getting out of our own perspective and choosing to enter theirs.<\/p>\n

This holiday season we are going to have many distractions.<\/p>\n

And we are going to step into a lot of lives.<\/p>\n

May we remember to set aside our stress and tread gently, giving others (and ourselves) extra grace.<\/p>\n

BTW, wouldn\u2019t it be wonderful if this \u201cextra grace-giving\u201d became a habit we practiced all year long?<\/p>\n

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and\u00a0gracious\u00a0God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Psalm 86:15<\/p>\n

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.<\/em><\/a> Ephesians 4:32<\/p>\n

Love is patient, love is\u00a0kind<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a01 Corinthians 13:4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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