Dropping Shoes and Souls with Holes by Michelle Cullison

First, a note from Kim:

How do I introduce my sister, my best girlfriend, my confidant, the sharer of joys and heartache, the one person who understands what I mean with just a word or a look or a phrase?  She is the one person (besides my spouse) who I can still share a room with and be completely relaxed. We can talk for hours and never have enough time to catch up. We dream of living in the same town and use every reason possible to travel the 1,250 miles one way to get together…or we will meet somewhere in between even for just a couple of days. 

Michelle is an amazing woman for many reasons. First, she is a faithful follower and servant of Jesus, one who fears the Lord and honors Him with her life. She is a prayer warrior, faithful wife, loving mom, and energetic Grammy. She is a successful entrepreneur, inspirational speaker, and gifted writer. She invests in the lives of others through local ministry and worldwide missions. She is a woman of wisdom: faithful, industrious, generous, strong, and kind. I introduce to you, Michelle Cullison, my sister and friend.

Dropping Shoes and Souls with Holes

by Michelle Cullison

 

“I think I will probably go to my grave fighting the feeling, but “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

I confessed this recently to my husband, my sister, Kim, on whose blog this is written, and a close friend.  I wanted to find resolution.

Now, those who know me, understand that I love God passionately and have lived my life on the foundation of trusting God as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6. I pray throughout the day every day. And, He has blessed my life with love and joy. So, it troubled me that to have this nagging feeling, deep down that the other shoe would eventually drop in my life or my life would eventually have some catastrophic event, failure or loneliness.

That’s not what faith looks like.

This feeling of fear was, of course, unfounded. It was false but there it was hidden in the creases and crevices of my heart and mind. The truth is, I’ve experienced the drop of the first shoe (so to speak) on the journey of life. Maybe, you have too. And, it left a hole in my soul.

What life experience has left you with you a hole in your soul?

What shoe dropped that has you stumped, stuck or afraid of the next dropping shoe?
What is your biggest fear or nagging thought that you wish you didn’t have?

Shortly after my true confessions, I got angry that I still have this problem – a soul with the same old hole. I don’t expect to ever be done with growth or not have any holes to fill while I’m still on this planet – but I certainly don’t want to work on this same hole for another 50 years! LOL

The truth is I’ve seen God do some miraculous things for me and for others in my life. So, I decided it was time to ask God for more.

 “Heal me, Lord. Fill this hole that causes this nagging feeling that eventually the other shoe will drop.”

Then, He started to answer through Stormy OMartian, a well-known author of books on prayer, who spoke at a recent event at my church. She shared her family story, which had similarities to mine and Kim’s and she concluded with a concept that was new to me: Go from strength to strength and from glory to glory. Expect your life to look like this!
Strength to strength. Expect it. Glory to glory. It gripped me. The phrases pulled me in.

So I went looking for a deeper understanding.

I found Psalm 84:5-7 that talks about pilgrimage…

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, (a place of weeping)

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools. (blessing)

7 They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

I camped out here in Psalm 84 for a couple of days and explored these verses and those around them. Here is what I learned:

• When you find your strength in the Lord, you will be blessed.
• When you set your heart to be on a pilgrimage with God, you will be blessed.
• THEN, your weeping will become a place of springs (as in fresh water that washes you clean and quenches your thirst)
• AND, blessings will rain down and form pools on your pilgrimage (your life journey: past, present, future)
• Finally, there is the promise that this movement from strength to strength is for the ENTIRE journey – until the end!

Now, let’s look at my life verse, Proverbs 3:5-6. I’ve staked my life on this truth. It has been my firm foundation for living. It talks about a path…

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Take a minute and think about this question:
What’s the difference between a path and pilgrimage? Write it down.

Now, take a look at the definitions.

Path paTH/ noun   

• a way or track laid down for walking or made by continual treading.

Pil·grim·age ˈpilɡrəmij/ noun

• a pilgrim’s journey.
• religious journey, religious expedition
• a journey to a place associated with someone or something well known or respected.
• life viewed as a journey.

See the difference? One is daily and the other life-long.

By exploring these two passages with God I have a new understanding and I am so excited about it!

I have trusted God with my path, my day to day journey. And, His guidance has saved me. THANK YOU, Jesus! When I look back at my life, I see clearly that He has made my paths straight. He has brought me from strength to strength to this point.

But, somehow, until now, I haven’t applied the truth of strength to strength to the future, to the end point of my life. But, now, I see. Do you?

Sisters and brothers in the family of God, if you aren’t already seeing your future as a journey with God from strength to strength to the end, will you join me to live in GREAT expectation?

This is the TRUTH:
He is trustworthy for both our path (today) and our pilgrimage (tomorrow and to the end)!

There is no dropping shoe in the future for me, for you or for anyone who walks in the strength of the Lord. I am fully able, and so are you, to expect a successful move from strength to strength and glory to glory to complete the good works that He has planted in my heart!
The myth has been busted. Praise God!

 

Lord, we trust you with our daily paths.
Make them straight even when we don’t have full understanding.

Lord, we trust you to turn our valleys of weeping into springs of blessing.

Lord, we trust you to move us from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH to the very end.

Lord, help us live with GREAT EXPECTATION and no fear of dropping shoes on our journey to you.

Thank you, Lord, for filling the holes in our souls and walking with us always on this pilgrimage!

Amen!

 

#ThereIsNotAnotherShoe

#YouAlwaysFilltheHolesinOurSoulsWhenWeAsk

#AskMore

#WalkInTheStrengthOftheLord

#Trust #LivewithGreatExpectation

 

Michelle Cullison

Bio (Twitter style)

Love God. On Mission.

Wife of 1. Mom of 3. Grandma of 2.

—and I’m Kim’s sister! 🙂

Operate 2 Social Media Driven Businesses.

Learn more at MichelleCullison.com