Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 69 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Remove the Pebble from Your Boot
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 69 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the 6 essential components for a rich and satisfying life and realized that it is the simple and small things of life that make a difference. Speaking of small things, today we will look at what we should do when we get a pebble in our hiking boots.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this podcast originally airs, we will have about 30 family members joining us for the weekend. It is always a great time of fellowship and fun. Although The Big House is always in some state of renovation, we did get most of the rooms back into a livable order for the weekend, as we will be having all six of the bedrooms occupied. Everything will fall into place as it should.
As we now shift our focus to our Trek today, we want to learn why we need to take care of the small details when they occur to prevent them from turning into major details. When we hike the rough mountainous trail of life, it is very important that we have the proper boots or shoes on for the type of trek we are taking. We need to make sure they fit correctly and are laced up snugly.
Boots and other types of shoes have always played a role in history and culture. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and the glass slipper or the tale of Puss and Boots. Remember Dorothy’s magic ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz?
Language is littered with references to shoes. We wait for the other shoe to drop, or try to experience life in another person’s shoes. One has big shoes to fill when he takes on a new challenge. There is the phrase, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”
Shoe design can indicate a person’s wealth and social position, as reflected in the quality of material or the complexity of the workmanship used to make shoes. Shoes can show membership in a particular group, like cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. High heels make a social statement, as do a sensible pair of Oxfords. Celebrities are known for the number of pairs they own. For me, my favorite pair of shoes are my Birkenstock Super Noppy Sandals. They have small nubs on them which massage my feet all day. Since I use a standing desk at all times, I find myself on my feet for 10-12 hours each day, and these sandals are the only shoe that allows me to do so. My mom got me hooked on these in my early adult life, after she had purchased a pair for herself and I tried them out.
What one does with shoes also makes a statement. Mine is for comfort, but in Middle Eastern counties, for example, throwing shoes at someone is an insult.
Wearing the correct shoes or boots for the situation or occasion is important. This is especially true when you are hiking through rugged terrain over many miles. Even when you do have the correct boots and make the proper preparations, you can still get small pebbles in your hiking boots. At first it may not be noticeable and not present an issues, but let us look how the small, seemingly insignificant issues in life can create a major problem.
The following parable should help you to understand. A man was hiking on a steep mountain the other day when a tiny pebble about the size of a grape nut kicked up and landed in the heel of his boot. At first the pebble was barely noticeable, so he kept going. Then it began to be more and more noticeable and started hurting badly until eventually the pain subsided and his heel was numb. When he got home from the hike, his heel was bleeding, and it took a while for his foot to recover. In fact for the next few weeks whenever he hiked the wound reopened. If he would have stopped and taken the pebble out right away, this would not have happened.
How often do we do this in our own lives? Something that seems to not be a big deal we let stay. Then it becomes bigger and bigger, brings pain, and causes problems even after the thing is removed.
The following are three steps that we can take to avoid needless pain in our lives.
1. Stop what you are doing.
The first thing we need to do when we realize there is a pebble is to stop. We are all busy. Stopping can feel like such a huge task at times. If we stop, people may realize something is wrong. We get in a rhythm of life and don’t want to slow down. Before big failures or meltdowns we start to exhibit actions that are uncharacteristic of what we would normally do. You need to know yourself well enough. Learn to STOP and ask yourself these three questions:
- Am I worn out and not getting enough sleep?
- Am I eating properly?
- Am I getting proper exercise?
These three areas contribute to most of our irrational actions. If you are worn out or out of balance in any of the areas, STOP before you do something stupid. So, stop and look for triggers in your own life.
The other area where we may become irrational or “not ourselves” is when we become involved in something that is illegal, immoral, or unethical. As a Christ follower, I refer to these items as “sinful actions.” If this is something that you have allowed into your life, without being too blunt, I will say, “JUST STOP IT!” Free yourself from these pebbles that are destroying your life.
2. Remove the pebbles.
Once you determine what the pebbles are in your life, remove them. If it is lack of sleep, then work on getting more, even if it is just another 30 minutes at first. If it is not eating right, then slowly start changing those habits. If it is the lack of exercise, then start by walking an additional 30 minutes each day. Also, apologize to anyone that you have hurt or offended when these pebbles manifest themselves.
If your pebbles are from “sinful actions,” then remove them by making the needed changes in your life to free yourself. As a Christian, this is through confession. 1 John 1:9 says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Confess and repent to God first, then as needed, confess and ask forgiveness of others. James 5:16 states, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Confide in your spouse or a close friend and allow them to help your through this journey. This is so healthy and needed.
In either type of situation, remove the pebble before it festers into an open, raw, and gaping wound that hurts you and others.
3. Keep moving forward.
Once you have removed the pebble, changed habits, stopped actions, and confessed if needed, continue on your trek. There is no glory with God or people to wallow in your pigsty of misery. The Bible says that Jesus died for our sin. It is finished. He knew what you were going to do before you did it, and He died for it. If you need to change habits, change them and move on. If you screwed up don’t fixate on it. Continue on without the pebble.
The scariest part about these pebbles is that it can come to a point at which we don’t feel them anymore. They are there and causing damage, but we don’t feel it. Our hearts have been callused to God and others.
I pray two things for you today: that you would feel God’s full love for you and that He would keep your heart soft so that you will detect and remove the pebbles of life. Be blessed on your journey each day.
Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud or Wisdom-Trek.com. Tomorrow we will discover why actions and affirmations must always hike together.
So, please join us at our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
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Thank you!
The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and Free Resources.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day! See you tomorrow!