Change Your Shoes

The shoes we wear in life set the foundation for where we’re going. The right or wrong shoes can have an impact on the assignment we are on. In this episode, we discuss why “changing” and being attentive to your shoes matters as you go through life.

Scripture references: Acts:  12:8 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Oh my gosh. I know I have I have to start out the episode like this. I know. I know y'all. I know. I know. I know. I don't even want to look at I don't want to even look at the last day that I recorded my last episode. Matter of fact, no, no, no. We're gonna have to see. We're gonna have to see. Okay, because I know. Oh my gosh, February 9th was our last episode, and it is May 13th. Oh my goodness. Come on, Amaya. Okay, all right, all right. I'm back, y'all. I'm back. I apologize. We have had a uh a break that was not uh intended to happen, and but that's okay, which what y'all know I'll be saying, I'll be like, nevertheless, and then I just be getting back into the episode. So hey, if you've been supporting me this far, if you have been listening and tuning in, I want to say thank you. I know it has been a minute and we've had a break that was uncalled for. Okay, I did not call the break. I think my last episode, I probably was like, oh, talk to you guys later, tag in the next episode. And then here we are, about two, almost three, four, or five months later, doing another episode. But hey, we are still in season one, and we will wrap up this season once we hit 25 episodes. Okay, that is my goal, and yeah, so we have 18. This will be episode 19. So we are still pushing along, and I want you to know that if you ever start something and then you stop, you know what you can do? You can always go back and pick it up again, okay? Pick up the pen again, pick up the car, the the wheel, drive again, run again, walk again. And it's never too late to get back into the things that you want to get into. Don't ever feel like when time starts going, you know, we can I can spin this episode and going in all that, or we can just kind of move on. Okay, so that's what we're gonna do. We're going to move on. And shout out to one of my good friends. Um, for she sent me a text and she was like something about, you know, when's the next episode, or I need more of the podcast. And you know, those things are they they help, and you know, it's in a way encourages me to remember that you know, you got to keep going. So you know who you are. I love you so much. And thank you for your support. Because she texted me. She I we had talked, and I was like, you know, I need to be doing my episode, so can you please like just send me a text, you know, hey, like make sure that I'm recording. You know, sometimes I feel like we need certain people to kind of help us push us or remind us. And so she sent me a text and she was like, Hey friend, did you record your episode yesterday? And I sent her my bit emoji, um, my bit emoji that was like looking sad, and I was like, No, I didn't, friend, but I'm gonna record it after work. So that is how we are now here. Okay, so I hope you are all doing well, and I pray that the peace of God has been with you and that you are living and doing everything that God has called you to do. And if you don't know what God has called you to do, I hope that you are spending time in prayer and fasting and fellowship with others to find out what the purpose and what God has ordained you to do in this life because I want you to know there's an assignment on your life, and there's something that God has called you to do, and we need you, okay? We need you, okay. And yeah, so update on me, life is going well, and I'm getting into career paths, and y'all know me. I just be liking to do a lot of different things, but you know, life is going well, the weather in Georgia, it is nice. I got to visit my family and friends back home, and I'm laughing because the podcast topic is stemming from something that happened, but y'all know I be having a story with these podcast episodes, and so we're just gonna go ahead and get into it. So the name of this episode, this is so funny. I'm sorry, is called Change Your Shoes. Change your shoes. So I want to give you guys a little a little quick rundown about the okay. So when it comes to buying things, when it comes to investing in myself, this is an area that I'm still trying to learn and be better at because as bougie as you know that I could come off sometimes, I'm cheap. Like I'm cheap, right? How what can I get the most for less? You know, we're talking about five dollar biggie bag at Wendy's, and you get let me say what you get in the biggie bag real quick. Okay, so if you go to Wendy's now, listen, if you want to die, go okay, just kind of skip a part. Skip this part. Okay, you go to Wendy's, you get you a five dollar biggie bag, you can get a crispy chicken sandwich, you get chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.

unknown 5:48

Five dollars.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

I think they also had like a four for four, but I'm just saying, yeah, you get the point. I'm getting multiple things for a little bit. Okay, okay, Wendy's is not sponsored by Wendy's. I'm not getting paid, but I have to tell y'all about that because the biggie bag would be coming in clutch when your girl was on a budget and did not grocery shop. Okay, so five dollar biggie bag. So, anyways, when it comes to investing in myself, you know, I like to look for the deals. Hey, if it looks good, I'm aware it. I don't really care about the brand names, you know. I think I have I think I have like one name brand like in my closet. It's like like a coach, right? So like I don't really spend a lot of money on myself like that. Like in other areas, I do. My sister was like, Well, yeah, and so in certain areas I do. And I think when it comes to investing in ourselves, I think we do have the places where we invest more than others. So I was getting ready to go to my trip to Nebraska, and I had this outfit. And when I went on Fashion Nova, you know, because I'm also learning how to pair outfits better together instead of just wearing dresses and rompers, but actually matching and putting things together. So there's this really casual, cute outfit that I saw on Fashion Nova, and so she it was like a brown set, very casual, and then they had some white shoes. Now, when I'm looking at it, okay, she got white shoes. Okay, so my cousin, something happens, and my cousins come down here, and we end up going to the mall. And so I'm like, you know, I need to get new shoes. I don't really have a lot of shoes, I need to invest more shoes. So now again, I'm just walking through the mall. I'm not saying I need to go to this particular store and get me this name brand shoes. I'm just saying I need some white shoes to go with this outfit. Okay, I'm not caring about the brand, I'm not caring about the the the texture or whatever the fabric. That's what I'm looking for. The style of it, if it's a high top, low top, whatever. I'm just like, I need some, I just need some shoes. So we go into this particular store. I don't even remember what the name of the store was. I just knew it was a shoe store, so I walked in there. My cousin and I were like looking around. I'm like, okay, cool. Look at these shoes. Okay, they're you know cute, and okay, so I put them on. Now, because I respect people's businesses, and because I don't want to ever diminish a business, I'm not gonna say what the name of the brand of the shoe was, but just pause there, okay? So let's just we're just gonna say I got a pair of shoes and they had a particular brand name on the back of the shoes. And when I got them, I remember uh so fast forward, I got the shoes, so I fly. I I hadn't worn these out, I just kind of put them in my in my bag. So I go home and we're like I don't even think about this part. This is actually kind of important. So we're going to the zoo, and I'm putting on my outfit, and they're new white shoes, and they look nice, right? And we're going to the zoo, okay. And in my mind, I'm not thinking like we're going to the zoo. I'm just thinking, I need to look cute. I don't care where we're going, I need to look cute. So, with that being said, I had some family members that were basically not a fan of the shoes that I had brought. And they weren't necessarily trying to make me feel bad about the shoe. But some of the points that they were making was valid, right? Like one, we're going to the zoo, you don't need to be wearing white shoes because you're gonna get dirty, they're gonna get messed up, you just bought them, and so that was the first part. The second part was the brand of the shoe wasn't a high-quality known shoe, it was like a very, very off-brand shoe, and I think also the style of the shoe did not go along with the outfit. And I had a conversation with my friend about it. Because when I had sent her the picture of the outfit, she had made a very valid point, and she was saying, Well, yes, the shoes, you know, basically, yeah, you know, that's how they look, but overall, you have to look at the style because certain styles like high tops and certain shoes just go better with an outfit. And I think in that point, there, sometimes we just see things as how they are, but we're not thinking about the internal details that actually make up what it is that we're putting on. So that was the first thing. The second thing was I, if you guys don't know, I'm a dance fitness instructor, and this is gonna sound so bad, but I do not care. So I have these one pair of tennis shoes. I always say, hey, I have a bunch of heels, I only have like one pair of tennis shoes. So I've been wearing, let's just say I've been wearing the same shoe for a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long time. So I don't remember what happened. I went to go visit one of my mentors, and we were in the group studio, and we were talking about shoes, something. And she'd always give me shoes, she gave me like some heels, and we would just always tell, she would always just give something away. And shoes, and what I the last thing she gave me was a pair of heels. But, anyways, she had gave me that, and we were talking about shoes, and I think I basically had let her know, yeah, I've had these shoes for a very long time. And then she informed me, she was telling me no, she was like, as a dance fitness instructor, you cannot wear the same shoes that you teach in to dance for working out, and you guys probably like, well, Amaya, like you didn't know that. No, I didn't, because in my mind, they're shoes, they're tennis shoes, so they're like all-around shoes. Then she goes a step further to say, you don't even wear those shoes like on concrete. There are shoes that you need to get for lifting, then you got your shoes for dance fitness, and then you have your shoes that you're just wearing in between those things. So, like if I'm going to go teach class, I just put on some not flip-flops, but maybe just some old shoes, and then I would try I would go into the actual shoes that I need. And the reason why this was important because the bottom of my shoe literally had no support. When we looked at the shoe, she was like, uh-uh. And because me not changing out my shoe could be, or unknowingly, I could not have known that it was causing some damage or could cause me to be injured or become injured when I'm teaching. Now, I did get these new shoes. Now, it's funny because both shoes in both situations I replaced. I went and I invested a different pair of shoes, and then for my dance fitness, I got a new pair of shoes, and so I still have the old shoes, but I did have to change it. And when I end up changing the shoe, not only did they feel better, but they looked better. I was holding on and I was wearing something that not only didn't look good anymore, but the support under the shoe was no longer benefiting me. And I was putting something on that I thought was doing me good because it was easy, because it was convenient, because I've had them for so long, and I didn't have to pay a lot of money, and so I'm just gonna keep wearing them because it's doing me good. But not knowing that the more I was wearing them and wearing them, I was wearing the actual shoes down. And now it's messing up the foundation of my feet, it's messing up not only the foundation of my feet, but now the work that I have to put in to use utilize the shoes. So now the shoes aren't necessarily for my benefit. And how this relates to life with shoes and life is the foundation of where you're walking or where you're going in life is important. And if you're not taking note of the shoes that you're wearing, if you're not not only taking note of the shoes that you're wearing, but the environment in which you're bringing your shoes into where you're walking, that can have an effect. Because yes, my outfit can look good and my outfit can look nice, but if my feet are hurting, if my feet um don't have the proper support, what good is it that I'm doing? What good is up there if I'm up there teaching and I'm dancing on stage, but underneath the foundation of my feet is not grounded, or the foundation of my heart is not right. Because we have people that can come into our life and we think they mean well, but deep down, their foundation, their intentions for us is not well. Because you can present the thing over and over again, and you can play a part, and someone can play a part, and they can act like this is all good, but then once you start peeling back those places, you start to see, oh, I think I think something needs to change here. And so, you know, your feet and and where you walk, when you think about being a child of God, your feet matters where you plant your feet matters. The shoes that you're putting on. When I'm when I'm going outside, what shoes am I wearing today? And am I walking out in faith? Am I walking out in fear? Am I walking out in confidence? Do I have confidence today? Or am I wearing the same shoes of guilt? Am I wearing the same shoes of shame? Am I wearing the same shoes of unforgiveness? What are the shoes that I'm wearing today? Because eventually, eventually those shoes are going to reflect. They're going to say something about you. You see, the shoes that I was wearing for my class, it was funny because a student kept saying, she said, I was gonna get you some new laces because your shoes, they keep coming undone. Like during class, I would have to keep retying them. And so eventually your shoes are going to expose that, oh, there's an error, that uh there's an issue going on here. Something needs to be fixed. And in my mind, I'm like, oh, I'm good. I uh oh, I can just tie them up again. It's like when somebody, you know, hurts you or does something, you just be like, eh, you know, well, I I'll I'll just I'll I'll I'll I'll forget about it this time. I I'll deal with it tomorrow. So then they hurt you again, and then you're just like, eh, okay, and you forgive them, but you keep allowing the same thing to keep happening. And so I would just tie up my laces. I would tie up my shoes, okay, and I'm gonna do the same routine and I'm gonna get back on stage and I'm gonna teach. But then what happens when the laces start to come undone? Or what happens when I go up for a jump and I come down and I land on my ankle because the foundation of my feet is no longer supporting me because I wasn't taking attention, I wasn't um being aware, and then I wasn't investing into something new to better help me. And in life, sometimes you have to invest, okay? Sometimes you're going to have to invest in what it is that you need to do to further along. Whether that's um therapy, of course, investing your time with the Lord, whether it's getting uh a better mattress to sleep on so your back can be supported, whether it's investing into new books so you can read more and you can um help comprehension and in and what it is that you are trying to convey. Whether it's investing into a financial coach because you realize, hey, maybe I'm not the best with money. Maybe I need someone to help me look at things differently. And this is why the foundation of your feet matters. You can't take, you can't just put on any type of shoes in life, you can't just lace up, and and there are seasons for different shoes, and you have to know and discern the seasons so you can be able to properly take the shoe. And then you got to be able to know, okay, now what shoe do I need for today? See, when you're going in the closet and you're getting your outfits together and you have to put the shoes together, you gotta know what goes with what, right? So it's not wisdom for me, even as a young lady, and I'm putting outfits, like you know, just because it looks good doesn't mean it it it should go with the outfit. And my friend was telling me, you gotta look at the the type of shoe, because even the type of shoe, and whether it's a high top or if it's a low, that matters. It makes a difference in the overall appearance um or outfit that I'm wearing. Right? It it matters the the foundation matters because I'm going out and I'm just yeah, I'm just putting on these shoes and I'm a I'ma dance, but I'm not worried I'm not thinking about that the more that I'm wearing it, and I'm not paying attention. I'm not being villigent of the shoes that I'm wearing. I'm just I'm just putting them on and going about. And how many times and how is it in life where daily we are just putting on shoes and we're just walking into places and we're not realizing what what what is the place that I put my feet in today? What did I even agree to today that I may not have realized? It could be having a conversation, and then all of a sudden you start, someone maybe speaks doubt, and now you've accepted that. So now you're walking in doubt. Now you're not believing in what it is that you had in your heart. So the shoes matter. The shoes matter, yes, they matter. And sometimes we I can sometimes we can be afraid to invest a little bit. Oh man, it's gonna cost this much. Uh it's gonna okay. But the cost of you not investing is gonna be much higher than if you would have just invested the first time. It's gonna come with the cost. If I would have kept performing in those shoes and would have kept dancing, and let's just say I'm just feeling myself because pride can get in away and just say, Oh no, I'm good. I got this, I'm athletic, I'm fit, I've been doing this for four or five years. Oh, nothing's gonna happen to me. What happens when you go up, or if I went if I were to go up and I come down, I hurt myself. And then it's found that the fountain the the shoes could not properly support me. The shoes could not properly support me. And so looking up scriptures and you know what the Bible says about shoes or scriptures that are related to shoes. And so, you know, when I look at scripture, sometimes I just I see a scripture, and then there's like a word within that scripture. And I'm looking at Acts chapter 12, verse 8. And the angel said, put on your shoes and get ready to go. Put on your shoes and get ready to go. Dress yourself and put on your sandals. And this was being said to Peter. And get ready to go. So you gotta prepare yourself. You gotta make sure that you put on the right attire. You gotta make sure that your feet is covered, that your clothed in the right mind, that you're not just going out in places, just going. But when you put on those shoes, when you put on that outfit, get ready to go. Get ready to go on the mission that is ahead of you. And so it helped me kind of realize that yes, it does matter. Though we want to say, oh no, it doesn't matter, they're just shoes or just shoes. There's a deep deeper meaning. And I think the part with the shoes with my tennis shoes with dance fitness, it really helped me to understand. It gave me a further understanding of why. And I was so thankful because God protects us and he will send people, and we don't even know. We're just having conversations with people sometimes, and we don't even know how God's protecting us, even in those moments, how he's sending us a warning, how he's informing us. Because we don't know everything. We just don't. So you have to be somebody that, you know, transparency is one of those doors for deliverance. It's one of those places where you can get wisdom and be able to go forth and be able to be better in the area. Hey, I don't know this, or hey, I got this. And she was able to give me wisdom and tell me no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Uh-uh. No. The shoes matter, the foundation. And Christ, as a Christian, as a new believer, your foundation is Christ. Your foundation is the Lord. And when you keep God as a foundation, as you keep Him as the center of your life, you will see, you will know. He is orchestrating, He is guiding you. But you want to make sure you're waking up. Is my foundation today God? Or did I give place? Or did I give place to the enemy? And these are the things that we have to think about. These are the these are the places that we have to um think about. In Ephesians, it says, never give, neither give place to the devil. Right? So we understand when we put ourselves in certain situations, when we walk in certain places, that it can give place to the devil. It can give place to an open door. It can give place for something to come in. So I say that I'll just say, because I I had a stopwatch and then I had to stop it for something. To in this season of your life, be diligent. Understand the shoes that you have. Examine the shoes. And then when it's time to change those shoes out, make sure you change them. Especially when they're shoes of doubt, quickly change those out. Take those out. But sometimes those those shoes of faith, it takes a minute. Because sometimes though faith is a journey that you have to learn. It's a journey that you have to kind of walk through and get through. So as you're on your journey, as you're walking, examine your shoes, know the foundation, examine the environments, and it's okay. But I'm here to tell you change your shoes. Change your shoes by saying, Oh, let me and hey, literally, you might we might, y'all listen, we might have some shoes that we really need to change out though. But think about what my point is the overall message and what I'm saying, how this relates to life. Be mindful of what you're walking in, and make sure that you're caring for the foundation of what it is. Because even with those other white shoes, I was gonna go to the zoo, but they're gonna get dirty. And some places, some shoes that we have, we can't take them everywhere. Oh gosh, we might have to do a part two. Some shoes, some things that we're walking in, we we can't put ourselves and place ourselves in every environment, in every conversation, in every relationship and friendship. You gotta know when to wear, uh, how to use certain shoes or when to wear them. And I wasn't aware in that moment. Oh, I'm just going to the zoo. No, no, no, no, no, no. You're not just going anywhere. And you want to preserve the shoe as well. You want to take care, you want to steward that shoe, you want to steward the foundation, whatever it is that God has given you, you want to steward and cover that as well. So today's message, this week, whenever you listen to it, change your shoes. Change your shoes. All right, y'all. I'm I prom, I'm not, I'm gonna say thank you all so much for tuning in to today's episode. I know it's been a minute. I think this episode was a little longer, so hopefully that'll make up some time. But thank you all so much for taking the time. I hope within the conversation, because in the conversation, we have conversations and that you will learn something in the conversation. That's why it's called that. And so I pray that this message blesses you, and I will be back. We are pushing for 25 episodes. Um, I now have something within my episodes where you can share your feedback and I will get the message, you can support the show, and yeah, so thank you all so much for tuning in. May God bless you, may He cover you, and I will talk to you guys soon. Bye.