a walk in their shoes

I remembered once, for about a year, I wore a pair of good looking shoes wherever I go. No one ever asked about my shoes, and certainly no one knew about the condition of the shoes. The shoe looks as if it was only worn yesterday for the whole time. And it still looks the same way. But to the one who wore it they know it better. The insides of the sole had collapsed. The support underneath the feet is as rocky as the face of the mountain. The shoes had a dent where my heels were.

It was uncomfortable. It hurts to walk for long. But I wore it everyday to school, to work, to meet people. Stood on the train every morning from my house to the far west, and probably stood on the train to get to work, then sometimes stood on the bus to get from work to go home. It hurts to do what I do. But I did it anyway.

No one knew. No one asked. No one mentioned about why I wore the same pair of shoes for about a year. It wasn't something significant, and it's common for a guy to have the same pair of shoes for a long time. But God had a plan for them. I understood what it mean by "taking a way in another man's shoe". I understood that for a man with a nice set of footwear wouldn't be noticing others who had shoes that had already rotted on the inside. It wouldn't be obvious to them, because they are not going through what the rotten shoes brings.

"The poorest are the most generous". I saw this quote on FB one day. I had no idea who said it, but I remembered them. Beyond the smile, beyond the contentment shown on their faces, there are struggles. Words that were never uttered. Words that never got down that train of thought. Words that existed, but never heard.

Everyone has a story to tell. Some parts of the story are displayed on the outside, some parts hidden beneath their heels. How differently would a man have acted if he knew one more fact? How different would another have acted if he took a walk in another man's shoe?

there is a light

Genesis 1:2-4
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

In Genesis God created light. And He saw the light and it was good. This light had power to overcome darkness.

John 1:5
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

in another translation it reads:

John 1:5 (NLT)
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

this light that God had is not that ordinary light that covers only the places that are exposed to it. Everyone of us can find a dark corner somewhere in our room when we turn on the lights. But not this light. This light that God spoke of is so powerful that even the darkest region of the void can dispelled.

This is a black hole.

A black hole is black. That's a given. A black hole doesn't reflect any light and thus it looks black. But without any light, we can't see anything. Without light we can't even have this photo here telling us how does a black hole look like. Light enables us to look for the things that we are searching for.

Man is always on the search for something. Some are looking for hope. Some are looking for love. Some acceptance. But without light, how can man find what he is seeking? How do they know that what they have found is what they really wanted?

Then a Light came.

John 1:9
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

This Light came into the world 2000 years ago on the first Christmas day so that man can find what he is seeking. This Light came so that man can find acceptance instead of rejection. This Light came so that man can find hope instead of hopelessness. This Light came so that man can find love, even in the darkest moments of his life there will be someone there to tell them "I still love you".

And there is a name to this Light. The name of the Light is Jesus, the Son of God.

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

God in heaven knew that man is always searching for something. God knew that without Light man can do nothing. And isn't that true? Most of us don't work when it's night. We rest in the night. If we want to continue to work we turn on the lights. And God made the light first. Is it possible to make the light last? Why not? The almighty God surely can work when it is still dark. But God made light first, so that when our world is still in darkness we can receive sight.

Proverbs 29:18 (MSG)
If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

Christmas has always been about God giving man a light. No matter what has happened, or how dark the world has become, God reminds us every year that a Light came into our world to give us hope, acceptance and love.

Today is there any darkness in your heart? Jesus wants to shine His light into that darkness. Are you looking for an answer to your problems? Jesus wants to help you look for the answer. Are you giving up? Jesus wants to help you find hope. Are you feeling rejected? Jesus wants to accept you. Do you feel loved? God loved the world, no matter how dark it has become, and gave His Light, so that the world through Him would not feel unloved, rejected, condemned, but that the world might be saved.

Today, if that person is you, would you let Jesus come and light up your world? Jesus is kind and gentle and He wouldn't force His way into your life.

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Like the verse, Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart right now. He is asking you if you would let Him come in. If you can hear Him, would you open the door and let Him in? Would you welcome Him into your life this Christmas?