In this episode of Born to be a Butterfly, Nina Pajonas shares a powerful message God has been revealing through something surprisingly simple — shoes. Broken shoes, mismatched shoes, shoes that no longer fit… and what it all means for the season you’re stepping into.

If you’ve felt misaligned, uncomfortable, “off balance,” or like the old ways of doing things no longer work, this episode will speak directly to your spirit. Nina unpacks how God uses the natural to reveal what’s happening in the supernatural — breaking old patterns, expanding your capacity, realigning your steps, and preparing you for a custom-fitted calling.

This episode will encourage you to release what no longer fits, lean into the spiritual stretching God is doing, and boldly step into the new identity and new purpose He has prepared for you in 2026.

Welcome back to Born to be a Butterfly, where we embrace healing and growth in Christ so that we can experience true transformation.

I'm your host, Nina Pajones.

And today's episode is different.

It's prophetic,

it's personal,

and it's something that God has been highlighting in my life over and over again for the past few weeks.

And it all started with shoes.

Shoes breaking.

Walking, lopsided,

wearing two mismatched shoes without even realizing it.

And new shoes,

shoes I should have been able to wear suddenly felt too tight or too loose.

Now, if this had happened once,

I would have brushed it off.

But when every pair of shoes you own starts falling apart or fitting wrong at the exact same time,

when you literally walk into work wearing two different shoes,

when your foot suddenly feels like it's not the same size anymore,

that's not a coincidence.

That is God speaking.

And today I want to share what he revealed to me,

because I believe this message is not just for me.

I think we can all learn lessons from the situation that I found myself in.

Let me start with everything that went wrong.

On the first pair of shoes,

the heel broke.

Only I didn't realize it.

So I put on the shoes and I went to my car and I drove to work,

and I walked down the hallway,

and all of a sudden,

I felt lopsided.

And I thought to myself, what is the problem?

So I looked at my feet and I saw that the heel had fallen off.

The rubber had fallen off the shoe.

Now, here's the thing.

Those shoes,

I only bought them two years ago.

I've only worn them a handful of times.

So why in the world did that heel come off?

I had bought those shoes before from the same manufacturer.

They had lasted me at least five years the last time I bought them,

and this time,

they barely lasted at all.

It's funny, though.

I wore those particular shoes a lot.

At my last church,

I wore them on Sundays. I wore them for women's ministry nights.

And I always got compliments on them. Everybody loved them. All the ladies would always say, oh, I love your shoes. So I bought them again when the time came to get a new pair.

Like I said, I bought them from the same manufacturer. I bought them from Amazon. I bought them in the same size.

Everything was the same.

But what I feel, God is telling me in my spirit as I speak,

is that I'm not the same.

I'm not the same woman who wore those shoes before. And it's not that anything is wrong with the shoes.

It's what they represent.

I don't think the Lord wanted me to wear those shoes anymore because he knew that they would make me reminisce like Lot's wife.

Wearing those shoes would encourage me to look back instead of looking forward into the future that my Father in heaven has for me.

And I know that to some people,

that can sound silly,

because after all,

it's a pair of of shoes.

But in recovery,

one of the first things that we learn is to let go of people,

places and things we can't entertain, things that we entertained in our life before recovery.

If it's anything that's going to remind us of who we were,

who we used to hang out with, what we used to do, where we used to go,

if it's any of those things,

we are told to let it go.

If we revisit those places or talk to those people,

inevitably we're going to do what we used to do.

Whether or not I realized it,

those shoes reminded me of that time in my life.

And now that I think about it, it was only a couple of months ago that the Lord had me empty out my storage unit out there in that town where I used to live,

where I used to go to church.

The Lord gave me a great sense of urgency about it,

and I couldn't understand why.

I kept saying to him, where am I going?

Where are you taking me?

Why is it such an urgent matter that I clean out this storage unit?

I never got the answer. I still don't know why he wanted me to do it. But I did it because I needed to be obedient,

because I'm a child of God.

He's my Father.

And when your parent tells you to do something,

you do it.

I think that God let those shoes break because he didn't want me to go backwards and he didn't want me to look backwards.

It seems clear to me that he was telling me to leave it all behind,

including the shoes.

Isaiah 43, 18, 19. Niv says,

forget the former things.

Do not dwell on the past.

See,

I'm doing a new thing now. It springs up.

Do you not perceive it?

I love this piece of scripture because the Lord is saying,

forget the former things.

He means,

let it go.

Wipe it out of your memory. He doesn't want you to think about it anymore.

Then it says, do not dwell on the past,

because our Father in heaven knows we are famous for doing that.

And then he goes on to tell us, I'm doing something new and it's in front of you.

Do you not see it now? Here's the thing.

If we spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror of our lives,

how can we drive forward into the future that God has for us?

How we're going to crash.

We're so busy looking behind that we can't see what's in front of us.

And the funny thing is, we romanticize the past,

even when it's bad.

We feel more secure about what has happened than what is to come.

And I was thinking about that the other day.

Every old thing was once a new thing.

Every season that you look at in the past that you think was the best season of your life was once a new season.

At one point in time in your life,

that season scared you.

It made you insecure.

Exactly what you're feeling now about stepping into something new is exactly what you felt back then about stepping into what God had for you at that time.

That new thing, that new season,

that new spiritual gift that you were learning how to use,

that you were learning that he gave you.

Everything old was once new.

And if we don't let go of what was,

we can never become who God truly wants us to be.

And we will never live the lives that he planned for us before the beginning of time.

I think God made me really uncomfortable in my old shoes.

I think he broke them on purpose so that I couldn't possibly wear them anymore.

But when I went to buy myself new shoes and they didn't fit me,

I think he was trying to tell me that I have something for you that is custom fit.

I think he was telling me,

I won't even let you get a new pair of shoes by yourself.

You're going to have to lean on me for everything.

I'll give you the shoes.

I'll tell you where to walk.

I'll tell you when you can go, how you're going to go.

I believe he broke the old shoes and made the new shoes something I can't quite fit in yet.

There's something else I think I need to do before he's telling me I'll fit into the shoes that are going to walk me right into my promised land.

We can't walk into new seasons wearing old shoes.

We can't step into our new identities using old patterns.

We can't walk in new authority with old habits.

And the reason why is simple.

That season is over.

Just to let you know how outrageous the situation got with me and my shoes,

I have to let you know that not once,

but twice I was walking unevenly.

And both times it happened at my job the first time the heel fell off, like I said.

But the second time was about two weeks later,

and I looked down and realized that I had put on two completely different shoes.

You can laugh.

It's okay.

I'm still laughing at myself about it.

I can't believe I did that.

I have never walked out of the house like that in my life.

But I truly believe that sometimes the Lord has to throw off your balance to get your attention.

I could tell you he got mine.

Psalm 37 says,

the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

and He delights in their way.

Ordered steps mean aligned steps.

I believe that my lopsided walking was a sign that God was realigning me spiritually,

emotionally,

relationally and directionally.

And I want to speak to my sister,

who might be feeling off like something's not quite right.

And maybe, just maybe,

it's not that something's wrong.

Maybe God is shifting something in you.

Maybe God is convicting you because he doesn't want you straddling seasons.

He doesn't want you with one foot in the old season and one foot in the new season.

Here's the thing.

Our callings aren't standard.

Our assignments aren't generic.

They are custom fit for us by Christ.

God is constantly working on us,

working in us,

so that he can work better through us.

He is going to mold us into what he designed us to be, what he divinely designed us to be before the very beginning of time.

He divinely designed us for the works that he had prepared in advance for us to do. There is no stumbling upon your assignment. There is no,

oh,

my daughter happens to be there. I think I'll have her do a few things for me.

Absolutely not.

Everything that happens,

everything he brings us through,

everything he shows us through trials and tribulations or things that we learn in different seasons. Every single thing is done for the good and the glory of God and for the work that he has for us to do.

There is no happenstance. It is heaven.

It is designed by the King,

and it is custom fit.

Your work is tied to your identity in Christ.

It is like that episode I did not too long ago when I spoke of our fingerprints being the mark that we leave on the work that God has for us to do.

And that work can only be done by you.

He gave you gifts, he gave you talents. He gave you the personality, he gave you the mindset. He gave you everything that you need to do what he's called you to do.

He didn't give that to me.

It's like we unlock our assignments with special keys that were given to us by the King.

And my key isn't going to open up your door,

and your key is not going to open up my door.

Your divine destiny is directly connected to your gifting and your capacity.

But you must understand.

When something doesn't fit your identity and anymore,

and you have to be willing to let go of it,

nothing can be more important than the work you do for the Lord and the relationship that you have with the Lord.

Your spiritual calling requires new structure,

new space,

and new support.

Ephesians 2:10 says,

for we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand for us to do.

We're not going to run in,

we're not going to sprint in this new season. We're not going to stumble through this new season.

If nothing fits right now,

it's because God is preparing something that will.

God will always stretch our faith as he stretches our territory.

As he stretches and strengthens our influence,

he is also revealing the anointing on our lives.

Spiritually speaking,

our footprint of faith is bigger.

And Joshua 1:3 confirms this.

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon,

I have given you.

If your footprint expands,

so does your territory.

You're growing up in Christ and you're growing in Christ,

and I'm speaking about spiritual maturity.

And when we grow in that capacity,

the old things will no longer serve us,

they will no longer fit us,

and we have to be okay with that.

We should be excited about that.

As hard as it is to let go of what we know,

we must remember that is the only way that that we can grow.

That is the only way we can step into a new assignment,

a new adventure with our Father Abba.

That is the only way that we are going to fulfill the works that the Lord planned in advance for us to do.

His plans are immense.

There's always more work that the King needs done for his kingdom.

There's always going to be another assignment. He's always going to expand your territory. He's always going to bless you with more oil for new work, for new seasons.

That's the way our Savior works,

and that's the way he expects us to work when we're doing it right,

when we are walking with the Lord in His will,

when we are truly surrendered to the Spirit and really going through the sanctification process, we must understand that sanctification process,

that process of dying to self and living more in Christ is going to take us new places where we do new things. And why is that?

Why is that? It is because we're finally ready to handle it.

It's not that he gives us these things as rewards for good work. He gives us the work when we're ready for it,

when the calling is not going to crush us, when the assignment is not going to overwhelm us to the point where we don't know what to do or where to start.

It might be mighty, it might be big, it might look like, oh, there's no way I can do it. But when we're ready for it, we know that we can walk with the Lord and it will get done.

Do you understand the difference?

Because the Lord revealed that to me this morning. He said, I have these works prepared before you're even born.

But of course you're not going to be ready for it as soon as you come out of your mother's womb.

There's so much work I have to do in you before you are ready for the work that I have for you to do.

It was a beautiful word that the Lord gave to me this morning as I was driving into work. And I just.

I just sat in awe of him. I said, I understand, Lord, I understand.

But we start with small assignments. He gives us what we can handle, when we can handle it.

And as our confidence grows in Christ, and as we grow in Christ,

he can give us more because we're ready,

willing and able,

and because we are walking in his will.

Do you see how that works?

Our callings are custom made by Christ.

They are handcrafted.

They are tailored to you and to me.

They are divinely designed for the terrain and the territory that God is leading us into.

Get excited, sister,

because I want to tell you what the Lord has been revealing to me.

You cannot walk into the new year the way you walked through this one.

Times they are a changing and we have to change with it.

Your old shoes served a purpose.

They walked you through healing,

through heartbreaks,

through the wilderness seasons,

through battles that most people don't even know that you fought.

They walked you to your breakthrough.

Those shoes are not designed for the promised land.

Deuteronomy 2. 7 says,

for the Lord, your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.

He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness.

He watched you as you were walking.

He protected your steps.

He covered your path.

But when the wilderness is behind you and the promised ground is in front of you,

you need to step with feet of faith.

You have to step forward into your future.

Do you not perceive it says the Lord,

I am doing a new thing.

Let's pray.

Lord,

thank you for ordering our steps.

Thank you for the seasons you walk us through and the new seasons you lead us into.

If something no longer fits,

give us the courage to release it.

If you are enlarging our capacity,

give us the grace to grow into it.

If you are preparing us for a custom calling,

help us wait with expectancy and trust.

We surrender our walk to you.

We step into the new thing you are doing and we receive the new shoes,

the new identity,

the new purpose you have prepared for us.

In the mighty and matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

I pray.

Amen.

And now I'd like to ask you a question.

What area of your life feels misaligned,

out of place?

And how might God be using that discomfort to realign your steps with his will?

Thank you for joining me today on Born to be a Butterfly.

I pray this episode helped you recognize God's hand in your own walk and encourages you to step boldly into the new season that he is preparing for you.

If this message blessed you,

please share it with a friend who you think might benefit from it.

And please don't forget to follow Born to Be a Butterfly so that you never miss an episode until next time.

Remember,

the Lord can turn your wounds into wings.

You were born to be a butterfly.