Narrow Feet and Other Disappointments

“This is so frustrating!” I told my husband.

“My boots fit well a few days ago, but the leather must have stretched and now they’re too wide.”

Because of foot and ankle problems I spend most of my time wearing hiking boots. But no sooner do I track down a pair that will fit my extremely narrow feet, than the manufacturer stops making them and they are no longer available. I have visited every shoe store in our area and spent countless hours searching Internet sites for my size. Wonderful, durable, reasonably priced boots are plentiful in a medium width, and some can be found in a wide. But even though I wear the thickest woolen socks I can find, my feet will never fill out a medium.

After suffering another painful bout of plantar’s fasciitis (inflammation of the sole of the foot) caused by wearing shoes that were too large, I wondered why God created me with such narrow feet.

Why God?

Maybe you have asked similar questions. “Why did God make me so short?” “Why didn’t He make me prettier or smarter?” “He knew that I would really enjoy singing, so why didn’t He give me a nicer voice?” “Why can’t I run fast enough to join the track team?” “Why didn’t He make me as strong and muscular as the jocks in my class?”

When you look at others, you realize that the very things you struggle to do, your friends can accomplish almost effortlessly. So why did God make you the way He did?

The Bible says that God planned every day of your life before you took your first breath.

He has a wonderful plan for your life even though it may not feel so wonderful at the moment. God never does anything without a purpose. So what could His purpose be?

Our society rewards success and celebrates rugged individualism. Needing help from God and other people is often perceived as a weakness or character flaw. But our inadequacies can prompt us to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and to rely on Him for the strength we don’t have and the grace we desperately need. In other words, our inadequacies can help shape our characters in a positive way if we keep bringing them to Him.

Imperfect

If others become impatient with your shortcomings or ridicule you, remember that their attitude reflects their own weaknesses and not who you are! Yes, that’s right. Their thoughtlessness points out their imperfections. As enviable as others may appear to be, they are imperfect, too. Everyone is imperfect! That’s worth remembering when you start to talk negatively to yourself.

My feet will never be as wide as the “average” width. You may not grow to average height or sing as well as you would like, but God sees you as lovable, beautiful and valuable. Your worth does not depend on how tall you are, how quickly you can run or the size of your muscles.

God may not tell us all the reasons why He made us the way He did, but we can know that His decisions are always birthed in His love.