A Heart Like April’s

On Wednesday night, I was challenged.

One of our awesome high school girls was sharing a letter from Ndupha, a young Kenyan boy our youth group sponsors. When she was finished, she stopped my heart cold with this simple statement:

“We are lucky to have the luxury to care whether our shoes match each day.”

Wow.

To be honest, I’d never thought about matching shoes as a luxury. I actually thought of it as a necessity. What would people think if I went walking around in a Saucony running shoe and a red stiletto?

I know what Ndupha’s friends might think-look at her shoes. She’s so BLESSED to have those shoes. They’d call me blessed! Even with mismatched shoes. Would I say the same thing?

So much of what we have we take for granted. Our clothes, our cell phones, our freedom, and yes, our shoes.

Thank you April for pointing out what we so often forget, that everything in life is a blessing. As Americans, we have so much, while so many in the world have so little. We have so much we can give to others if we start focusing on our blessings instead of what we “lack.”

Does this mean we all need to live in a commune, and share everything with everyone all the time? No. What it does require, however, is taking a step back to recognize the abundance in our lives, and the needs of others. For me, it also means asking God to transform my heart.

Hopefully, he’ll give me a heart like April’s.

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