Tying Shoes

My oldest son celebrated his birthday in November. I’ve had a few days of nostalgia as I remembered him growing up. He was a busy boy! It seems he was born to get things done and take the lead. He crawled early, walked early, ran fast, and was passionate from the start to get it done “by myself.”

I remember one time in particular when he was just a toddler when he was heavily concentrating on tying his shoes. He cried and cried when he couldn’t get it done and declared after nearly an hour of trying that he would no longer wear those shoes. Not an hour passed after this declaration that he was back at it, trying to tie those red tennis shoes. It wasn’t long before he was off and running with those shoes tied as best as his little hands could manage and telling his daddy, “I did it by myself!” His victory was short-lived, however, as the laces came untied rather quickly. He tripped and skinned his knee. Tears quickly followed, I swiftly collected my independent one in my arms and kissed the tears away. When the tears dried, we tried to tie those shoes together, and the day came when they no longer came loose. A tough lesson for my little one! Yet, he learned to let Mama teach him how to tie shoes that day. Time went by and he grew, but he learned to come and get help when he couldn’t figure something out. In the same way that my son had to learn from his shoe-tying exercise, I’m learning to rely on lessons and victories of the past to help me move forward, to help me tie my shoes.

1 Samuel 21:9 NKJ “So the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.’ And David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’” If you remember the account of David and Goliath, David killed Goliath (the champion of the Philistines, Israel’s dreaded enemy) with Goliath’s own sword. What a victory that was! However, it seems after that victory, Goliath’s sword – the symbol of that victory – got put away, forgotten until the day David needed it. There will be times we go through things in life when the victories of the past return to us at the right moment to bless us just like the sword of Goliath came back to David. At that moment, answers come, and victory is assured because we remembered God brought the victory before and will bring it again.

I'm relearning this lesson today; I've picked up the sword from past victories and am swinging it again. I encourage you, too, to reach back for those swords, those victories, and, like David, say, “There’s none like it; give it to me.”

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The New Year is fast approaching; it is sure to be filled with its own unique challenges. While the challenges you face in the coming year will be new, the sword is still the same. God's Word is His sword (see Eph. 6:17), get accustomed to holding it, feeling its weight in your hands. If you aren't used to holding a sword, using it in battle will be even more difficult.

There are many, many ways to read, and get accustomed, to God's Word. Find one method that works for you, and stick to it! I have enjoyed using a method I discovered when I read The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro. There are other systematic plans available for everyone. Make a shift in your life's battle strategy today - get into God's Word and hold that sword.