My 6-year-old daughter, Lindsey, loves monkeys. A couple years ago, she decided she liked a particular monkey, and her affection quickly grew into a liking for all monkeys, everywhere. So when she needed new sneakers not that long ago, she—of course—chose a pair with monkeys.
The only problem was that this pair was made to be fastened with laces instead of Velcro, and Lindsey didn’t know how to tie her shoes. That is, she had learned how to make the bunny go around the tree, but she wasn’t experienced at it. I didn’t want to buy her a pair of shoes that would require my tying them for her every time we had to go somewhere. So I told her I would buy her the shoes if she would practice tying them herself.
Lindsey agreed and became the proud owner of new monkey sneakers. True to her word, she tied her own shoelaces without complaint each time it was necessary. She’s gotten pretty good at it, too, though the laces keep coming untied, especially on her right foot. Usually, Lindsey doesn’t care. She’s perfectly happy to run around with the long laces dragging the ground. She willingly ties them if I tell her to, but for the most part, she doesn’t notice they’re not arranged in nice, neat bows anymore.
Sometimes, I get nervous. What if she trips? I can just imagine poor, sweet Lindsey with her hands, knees, and chin scraped, all because she tripped over her untied shoelaces. So I tell her to tie her shoes, not because I’m trying to mess up her fun, but because I’m trying to keep her from danger.
It’s the same thing God does for us.
Often, we’re content to go through life not noticing whether or not both shoes are tied. Or, worse yet, we know one shoe’s untied, but we don’t bother to do anything about it. Either we’re oblivious to the potential danger, or we simply don’t care. Either way, we run the risk of tripping and falling and perhaps scraping ourselves badly.
God understands the danger of untied shoelaces—of parts of our lives not being properly controlled. That’s why He gives us all kinds of warnings not to let our shoes become untied. If we fail in our preventive efforts, He’s willing to tell us exactly what to do in order to tie them up again.
The problem is that sometimes, we don’t want to listen. Maybe we’d don’t want to take the time and effort to correct the problem. Or maybe we don’t believe God that we’re in danger. Either way, we ignore His warnings and prescriptions and go blithely about our business, little knowing or caring that we’re in danger.
Is there some shoe in your life that’s untied right now? Are you running the risk of being tripped up? If you don’t think so, ask God to help you examine your shoes so you can be sure. If you know that one is untied, repent and do what He’s told you to do about it. If you’re not sure what to do, ask Him.
Usually, the consequences of tripping over actual shoelaces aren’t that big a deal. If Lindsey does trip, a few scrapes are the worst things she’ll probably face. In life, the consequences can be much greater.
Don’t suffer consequences you could avoid. Don’t trip over something that could separate you from God or your family. Don’t let an untied shoe move from a potential to an actual tragedy in your life.
Instead, do the right thing. Do what I’d tell Lindsey to do, out of love and concern for her. Check your shoes.
1 Corinthians 10:12—Therefore let anyone who thinks that [she] stands take heed lest [she] fall.