Tracy Osborne  | Gucci Blue
It's Spring! Time to de-clutter, reorganize, and face the season with a lightness that comes from casting off the unnecessary layers of "stuff" we tend to accumulate over the winter.
In an effort to get in sync with the fresh, new season, I decided to tackle one of my least favorite chores : cleaning out my closet. Most of its contents were pretty easy to sift through. Coats, heavy sweaters, and boots were moved out to make room for lighter fabrics, brighter colors, and airy sandals. It's time to adapt to the conditions the new season will present.
Moving the last few items out of the darkest corner I found "those shoes": a navy-blue pair of Gucci heels. Examining the impeccably crafted pumps, I remembered the places I wore them, like the yacht club sail-past, elegant dinners in fine restaurants, and my beloved office with the breathtaking view overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These pumps weren't just shoes, they were like a shrine to some pleasant memories now behind me.
I paused before placing the shoes back in their spot at the back of my  closet. Why did I insist on keeping a 23 year-old pair of shoes that were now too small? They had outstayed their usefulness, but I had been keeping them as if surrendering them to the donation pile signaled an official end to some of the happiest times in my life. These shoes somehow represented to me a past I was unwilling to release.
I'm not referring to something painful or unpleasant, but a time when things were going really well. Sometimes we are tempted, whether through present pain, loss, or even boredom, to look back over our shoulders to another time when the season of our lives were sunny and pleasant. We already know the warnings in Scripture about resisting the temptation to run this race looking behind. Maybe we're missing our precious friends and the previous church our husband pastored and consider it the ideal place to serve in ministry. It could be that the current place in which you find yourself ministering feels foreign and uncomfortable. It's at times like these we are most vulnerable to the temptation of looking back. When we try to keep the past in our present closet, our lives become so cluttered there's not enough room for this season's footwear.
click on the yellow flip flops and post a comment to Tracy  | I don't know what life's path God has you walking on today, but if you persist in wearing the past season's footwear, it could make traveling difficult, even painful. It's flip-flop season for me now. In faith I'll trust God to equip me with the footwear I'll need to travel this season's path.
It may be time to re-examine the closet of your life. Ask God to help you release the past that is so cluttering your present that the future is uncertain. Ask for courage to release the past so you are free to embrace the present. Maybe journal a prayer as you do this. Talk with a trusted ministry friend who will pray with you and encourage you in this process.
By the way...some lady with a size 8 foot is going to be really blessed when she shops at the Bibles for China Thrift store. There's a great pair of shoes there, ready to go on another adventure.
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 Pastor's Wives Session
Don't Miss It!
Come Worship with other Pastor's wives! We will hear from Bobbie Rankin and then you can text your questions to the panel.
Exciting Expo and great door prizes to win. Come and See the Women's Expo and gather ideas for reaching the women in your community and the world. Monday and Tuesday in the common area outside of the Pastor's Wives Session and the Minister's Wives Luncheon.
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