I remember when my three children were younger and what a challenge it was to go anywhere for an extended period of time. The van seemed to be vacuumed-packed with "stuff" as I squeezed the very last item into the trunk. I recall smiling to myself as I did my mental checklist while driving down the highway. With each item that I thought of, I could confidently recall bringing or packing it. And then that humble moment of truth would arrive when we finally made our first stop... one child would discover that he didn't bring any shoes!
Listed below is a small excerpt of an article that was posted years ago in Focus on the Family magazine. I hope that it touches your heart the way that it did mine. (You will especially appreciate it if you have ever arrived somewhere with someone "shoeless!)
After a very descriptive introduction of the author's morning madness to get five children out of the door and to school on time, the story continued at the arrival at the school parking lot:
"Joshua," I said in my best mommy voice. "Why are you just sitting there in the back seat?"
"You forgot to remind me," he responded quietly in an "I know that I am going to get it now" voice. I glanced in my rearview mirror at the line of cars behind me. Hadn't I thoroughly exhausted our reminder checklist? "What did I forget to remind you to get?" Joshua quietly whispered, "My shoes."
HIS SHOES??? How does a child forget his shoes, I thought? On the way back to get his shoes, I grumbled in the car, wondering how in the world a child could forget his shoes... when a small voice spoke to my heart... "Sometimes you forget too... about Me."
Just as it seems so obvious that shoes are important, so is walking with God every day. Don't run through this Lenten season without your shoes! Remember to spend time with Him in His Word and prayer each day as you focus on the journey to the cross.
Wishing you a blessed Lenten season, filled with precious God time!
In His love,
Mrs. Palka