On the afternoon of May 12, 2020, the Lord gave me a dream.
I am walking down a street and approach a corner. In the corner lot to my right is a brick church. I begin walking toward it. Someone stopped me in the parking lot and asked, “Aren’t you going to change your shoes first?” I looked down at my feet and saw I was wearing a pair of white canvas tennis shoes. They were worn and scuffed. In my mind I pictured a pair of white patent leather dress shoes at home in my closet. (Note: I don’t actually own such shoes, just in the dream) I replied, “These are my shoes which I wear every day to serve my family, which is my service to the Lord. The Lord prefers these over fancy shoes I keep hidden in my closet.”
This dream could be interpreted a few different ways, but I am going to stick with what was impressed upon me during the dream and immediately following. Upon waking, as I was thinking about the dream and still actually waking up, a message was impressed upon my mind which said something like “this is similar to the parable of the talents”. Meaning, the dream has a similar message as the parable where the servant who buried his talents, was considered lazy and all that was entrusted to him was taken away because he did nothing with it.
Also, the message laid upon my spirit was, God is much more interested in your dirty shoes which reflect your service, than He is with the fancy shoes you reserve to make a good impression.
But shouldn’t we bring our best when we go into His house? YES!
However, perhaps, in God’s eyes, our BEST is the pair of dirty shoes that show our service to Him. Dirty shoes means you are busy working for the Lord throughout the week, and not just trying to look impressive on Sunday morning.
To be clear, this is NOT a message of works salvation. It is not a message of salvation. It is a message to the Church as the body of Christ.
Serving the Lord is a joy, but it can be messy and dirty and come in many forms, even the form of a Godly homemaker. Some day I will trade in those dirty shoes for a crown, which I will lay at His feet.
As usual, take the matter to prayer. Ask the Lord if there is a message for you in it. The message He lays on your heart may be different than the one He gave me.
These are the Bible verses impressed upon me concerning the dream:
Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? so run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk lends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2:6-7I
I’m sure there are many more, but these are the first to come to mind which speak to me personally. I welcome any thoughts.
Maranatha
A Mom Looking Up 