I wore the wrong shoes…

I wore the wrong shoes.  They were flats but had very little support and were rubbing the back of my heals raw.  I decided that something must be done.  We were going to be in the city for the remainder of the day and after just walking a few blocks the pain was unbearable.  Duane Reade to the rescue; a pharmacy that just happens to be located on like every block in New York City.  I went in and carefully selected some cushy insoles and a box of Band-Aids.

I found a nice park bench and began my foot care regimen.  The insoles were first.  I slipped them into each shoe and then let my feet sink in… ahhhhh… very soothing.  The pain was still there. My feet were very swollen at this point, but it was bearable.  My feet were no longer screaming at me but whispering softly.

Next came the Band-Aids.  I bought a special kind that was specifically suppose to help prevent blisters, but as I went to open the box I was horrified.  The box was completely empty.  My first thought, “wow Band-Aids are in such high demand in New York City that people are stealing them!  People here must have serious feet problems.”  My second thought was more of an emotion.  It was sadness. Here I was new in the city.  I was ill-prepared with a pair of shoes that did not exactly deliver what I was expecting.  So I made a plan B:  insoles and Band-Aids, to have that plan only partially come through.

How many people come to New York with a plan, believing that they are fully equipped, and yet find themselves buying into something that is empty and are left hurting?  Empty boxes/empty promises…  I felt a little pain with every step I took that day, but it reminded me why we were coming here.  Hope.  God’s plans and promises are anything but empty.