TOMS (less)

To see other posts that deal with this event, click here and here. 

Today was the annual 

One Day Without Shoes

event sponsored by TOMS shoes! 

I was happy to participate seeing as, well for many reasons:

I love kids.

I love TOMS.

I yearn to serve people.

I love being barefoot.

But, most importantly, because

I love God. 

Because my first love and most important relationship is with Christ alone, He gives me the rest of my desires.

It is because of my love of Christ, that I love people. 

I am called to love others.

The rich. The poor.

The young. The old.

The hungry. The thirsty.

Men. Women.

Boys. Girls.

Black. White. 

Asian. African. 

Hispanic. Indian. 

I am called to love them all.

Because of my love of Christ, I can partake in many different organizations, visit different areas, talk to multitudes of people, and walk barefoot for a day. 

Because of my love of Christ, or rather Christ's love of me, I can support and pray for the opportunity to spread the Gospel and glorify God. 

Because Christ loves me, I love others. 

This is my third year participating in the One Day Without Shoes event, but I think that this year was completely different. 

Yes, my feet did start to hurt toward the end of the day, but I pressed on.

Actually, I prayed through the pain. 

I did not pray for my pain of hurting feet to go away, rather, I prayed for the thousands of kids who have to go daily without shoes. I prayed for them and the things that they may suffer from. Including the cuts, scrapes, and diseases they can get from their feet not being protected. 

I prayed for the children that are not allowed to go to school simply because they do not have shoes. 

I prayed for the people who cannot go into eating establishments to get food.

I came to the realization, yet again, of how much I truly have. 

Of how good, shoes feel after cobblestone sidewalks.

And to the realization that this small act of going without shoes, may not even compare to what others actually live through each and every day. 

I came to the realization that the less I have, the closer to God I am. 

Simply because there is less to distract me from Him. 

I learned again today how God is pursuing me, relentlessly

and 

He is not giving up! 

Praise God that He does not give up! 

It is amazing all the things you learn when you go a day without something so simple.

In this case shoes.
:-)