Does the Shoe Fit?

“His lord said to him, ‘well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” – Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

Are you working in your area of calling and passion? Is your business right for you? Will expanding your business bring you stress or fulfillment?

As a man, one thing I struggle to understand is why women buy shoes that hurt their feet simply because they look good. As a result, these women often carry an extra pair of sandals or tennis shoes to relieve themselves of the cute, but painful, pair whenever possible. A woman will endure suffering as long as the shoe matches the outfit. It makes you wonder why people go through so much for beauty.

Many of us today are operating businesses or working jobs that do not fit our purposes. We work in these positions for the sole reason that they bring financial rewards and status. There is an exercise that I often do when I’m teaching a Biblical Entrepreneurship class about the importance of working or starting a business within your calling. I ask two students with two different shoe sizes to come up front and exchange shoes. I instruct them to walk from one end of the class to the other and then ask them how the shoes feel. They usually share how uncomfortable, and occasionally painful, the shoes feel. Next, I’ll ask them if I offered them $100 to wear the shoes for one day would they accept? The response is usually no. Then, I increase the amount to $1,000, and of course, everyone says yes. I’ll reply by saying, “What about wearing the shoes for one month?” Again, they usually say no. However, when I increase the amount of money to $5,000, they quickly say yes. Next, I increase the time to one year, and once again the answer is no… until I increase the pay again and they agree. The lesson of this exercise is that the only way for us to be willing to wear shoes that do not fit for a long period of time is by providing an appropriate reward. However, even with the reward, we can only stand the pain for so long before the financial reward is no longer sufficient. We then demand even more money in order to continue, and the cycle will continue.

As comical as this may seem, many individuals are trapped in this vicious cycle. They do not understand why the satisfaction of the financial reward only silences the pain for so long before it reappears again. They do not realize that they are wearing the wrong shoes, and no amount of money or career success will satisfy them. They are depressed, anxious, tired, unhappy and have little motivation to even go to work sometimes. The only way to permanently relieve the pain is to remove the wrong shoes and replace them with the right ones. At least women who purchase beautiful shoes that hurt can carry sandals or even walk barefoot when necessary for relief. Sometimes, depending on the type of shoes, they can become broken in with wear and eventually become less painful overtime. However, those who are in the wrong business or job do not have that luxury. Instead, they are often rewarded with more work camouflaged by pay increases, bonuses, and promotions.

Remember that success is never about financial perks but always about responsibilities. This is why in the story of the talents in Matthew 25, the Master rewarded his servants that were faithful over their talents with more responsibilities, which were paired with joy and fulfillment because they were receiving more responsibility in their area of passion and calling. Knowing if you are wearing the right shoes is based on whether or not you would enjoy increased responsibilities in the business or job that you are in right now. Would you enjoy serving more customers, leading more employees, being a steward over more assets through your current business? Or does the thought of more bring you stress and pain?

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the grace and the courage to find the right shoes and fill them for His Glory.