“For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord,” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
Last month, I went to DSW (one of my favorite places in life) to find a new pair of shoes. I came across these beautiful white Nikes, with neon green and orange accents. I skimmed through the boxes until I found my perfect 7 ½ size.
I sat down and took the shoes out of the box with excitement. As I started to try on the shoes, I noticed how snug they fitted around my feet. I tried to walk in them to break them in, but they were still extremely uncomfortable. I searched online to see what reviews other buyers left on the shoes, and every review stated how it’s beneficial to go a size up instead given how narrow the shoes are.
After reading the reviews, I made my way back over to the shoe boxes to try to find an 8. I couldn’t find them. I even asked one the associates if there were any additional sizes in the backroom . She advised that we check to see if there were other stores nearby that carried them.
In that moment, I had no intentions on searching other stores because I wanted the shoes right then and there. I did not want to wait. It if meant that the shoes did not fit, then so be it!
In true Arianna fashion, I bought the shoes in a 7 ½. As soon as I made my way back to my car, I immediately had buyer’s remorse. I went online to DSW.com and found a size 8. I ordered the shoes, and I returned the other pair within 10 minutes of buying them.
The pair I ordered online did not arrive to the store until about two weeks later, but the shoes fit perfectly, and they are definitely my new favorites!
In that brief moment in my driver’s seat, this thought came to mind, You are willing to settle for a pair of shoes that do not fit because you are not patient enough to wait for the exact shoes that are the proper fit.
It became clear to me that I often forgo the better fits in my life for the immediate satisfaction of the unfit. Sometimes, loving yourself is forgoing what you see in the now, for the better that lies in the future.
It is having the ability to cherish what is ahead, more than the temporary of the now.
Loving yourself is saying “no” to the things that do not fit in your life, even if it means waiting.
It is having the patience to wait for “the best” versus “thealmost.”
God has amazing things in store for our lives, but in the proper context, the proper time, and the proper fit specifically for us.
A form of self-love is loving who God has made you to be, to the extent where you crave the best that he has for you.
You do not settle for just anything and anyone. You strive for the best and the proper fits.
Prayer: God, teach me to crave your plans for my life. Give me the patience to wait for the best. Give me the ability to say no to things that do not fit within the context of your plans. Amen.