Two Left Feet

It was three pairs of sneakers ago.
I went to the town that is our county seat.
I parked and walked to the running store.
I think it’s ironic that, as a walker, I get my sneakers at a running store.

I like to know that I’m getting the right shoe for me.
I appreciate that all the sales people know a lot about running shoes.
They know a lot about the shoes that are best for walking as well.
I like to know that I am fitted properly.

Three pairs of sneakers ago, we were living with the uncertainty of a pandemic.
No one knew much about transmission in the beginning months.
Some people kept their groceries in the garage before bringing them into the house.
Some people feared that the virus could be transmitted on various surfaces as well.

The running store had two baskets on the floor.
One basket had a sign marked, clean.
The other basket had a sign marked, dirty.
Pairs of socks were inside both baskets.

All the customers were expected to remove their own socks.
In order to try on shoes, I had to take a pair of socks from the clean basket.
After I tried on a few pairs and made my selection, I was to place those socks in the dirty basket.
I could then put on my own socks and sneakers when I left the store.

I had never worn the kind of socks that were in the clean basket.
They were low cut, yet the back of the sock was much higher and came above the shoe.
They were colorful, which I loved.
When I put them on, I noticed that they had an L and an R near the big toe.

The socks are labeled? I asked the owner.
They are, since our right foot and our left foot are a little different from each other.
I put the socks on and immediately loved them.
There are no seams and the socks have support around the arch.

I actually bought a pair of socks in order to try them.
I liked the socks so much, I ordered more online.
The company claims that once you wear their socks, you won’t wear anything else.
I can attest that claim is true for me.

I smile each time I see the L and R on my sock.
I intentionally place the correct sock on the correct foot.
If I thought about it, I could feel like a small child learning to get dressed.
Our right foot and our left foot are a little different from each other, I remembered.

I thought of all of this the other day as I put on my socks to get ready for my walk.
I grabbed a pair from the drawer and sat down on a chair in my closet.
I noticed that something didn’t feel quite right.
I looked down and saw an L on my right foot.

In my haste, I grabbed the wrong sock.
I took it off and reached down to get the other sock that was on the floor.
I put it on, as if on autopilot.
It felt wrong as well.

I looked and saw that it, too, had an L near the big toe.
That never happened before.
Then I remembered that I had two pairs of pink socks hanging up in the laundry room.
I hang these socks to dry, since the washing instructions suggest to do so.

I realized that I had mismatched the socks when I was putting the pairs together.
Usually, I wear different colors each day.
I had worn pink socks two days in a row.
I grabbed them from the laundry basket as I was folding clothes and made a mismatched pair.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Sometimes, as Christians, we feel as if we have two left feet.
Walking is difficult.
Something just seems off.
Having two left feet, whether it be socks or shoes, is extremely uncomfortable.

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we often feel like we don’t fit here.
We don’t go along with things that we know displease God our Father.
We don’t participate in activities that dishonor God.
We seem to be swimming upstream many times in this culture.

I should have left the two R socks on my feet to remind me.
It was much too uncomfortable.
It is uncomfortable to be in the world but not of the world.
We walk around with two left feet.

The old has gone; the new has come.
In the world but not of the world.
Standing firm or going along.
I will never look at my socks in the same way again.

2 responses to “Two Left Feet”

1. Loved this one Gina! Curious about the brand of socks.

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   • I am so delighted you were blessed, Charmaine!
     The socks are called, FEETURES socks, which I now wear all the time.
     Gina

     Reply