I walk in the cafe high on a kite! Today is going to be a great day. Full smile I open the door and punch in for my shift.
“Good morning!” I say as I pass the owner, I’m almost skipping. Double knock on the door and I’m out front ready to greet customers. A few pleasantries with the morning shift, the conversation is always the same.
The answer to the question “How are you?” really only fluctuates between “Good - It was busy or Good it was calm.”
I step up to the register and can feel something is off… I can’t quite put my finger on it. And then I look down… sandals.
I was on such a cloud on my way here, I forgot to change my shoes. The policy is no open toed shoes. Hmm.. do you think they noticed? Is it really thaaat big of a deal?
I contemplate what to do.
Maybe I could just hide. There’s a chance the owner didn’t see my feet when I walked in. And maybe I could just keep moving around the island enough throughout the day so my coworker doesn’t see either. I will hide.
I start picturing what the rest of the day will look like in my shame sandals when I remember what a mentor told me recently.
“Be quick to own your mistakes and find a solution.”
It feels like the Holy Spirits prompting. I turn to my coworker and tell her the problem. Is it a big deal? Should I go home and change. She has obviously noticed but wasn’t going to say anything. She responds with a sideways look and says maybe the owner won’t see.
So, yes it is a big deal.
I think about all the ways I could hide my feet the rest of the day or quickly walk by him with a creative little dance. No. I will not walk in shame this day. At that moment he opens the door and I walk straight up to him and confess.
We decide that it would be best for me to go home quickly and change my shoes. And ten minutes I’m back through the door all laced up.
Ready to be present with each customer.
I think so much of our life with God can be like this as well. Big things and little things we mess up and make mistakes, we sin. And when we feel the weight of our actions or lack there of we think we can hide from God. Maybe I can do a little dance, walk by Him quickly, or distract Him with a fancy conversation. Always hiding in our shame sandals. But He sees. He knows.
And you know what’s funny. My boss actually thanked me for changing my shoes. He was grateful because the policy was in place to protect his workers from burns or injuries. And he would be responsible if something happened to me. It was actually to protect me and for my good.
Our Heavenly Father says the same thing. His rules are meant for our good. And he is grateful when we come to him and confess so that we don’t have to hide. He enjoys when we are in His presence without shame. That’s what He wants.
So this week I took off my shame sandals.
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