The Pleasure of Tight Boots

There is a story about a farmer who bought a brand new pair of boots. Those boots however, turned out to be a tad too tight. The boot maker offered to stretch them so they would fit.

"Oh no, you'll not stretch these boots an inch!” insisted the man. "You see, I start every morning before sunrise checking on some ornery cows that have knocked down a fence or caused some other trouble. Then I go to the office and listen to all of the members complain about this and that. Then I come home to hear my wife tell me what chores I haven't gotten done around the house. When I get ready for bed and I take off those tight boots....Well, some days that's the only pleasure I have!"

So what does the end of your day look like? What soothes your soul and refreshes your spirit? Is it your loving family, a crazy happy dog, a dinner ready & waiting, your recliner and the remote control?

String a pearl: We all face some tight fitting problems in our life. Stress, heart ache, and crisis can rob us of our joy. Oh, don’t allow that to happen. Fight back, reach high and know the Lord loves you and has a plan for your life. Reading God’s Word we learn from David that walking closely with the Lord is even more pleasurable than removing tight boots at the end of a troubled day: "I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from you.'...The LORD is all I need. He takes care of me.....I praise the LORD because he advises me. Even at night, I feel his leading. I keep the LORD before me always. Because he is close by my side, I will not be hurt....You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever." (Psalm 16:2,5,7-8,11, NCV)

Coach Wonderful often quotes 2 Corinthians 10:5 … “Take every thought captive. Does it agree with the Word of God? If so, pursue it – if not, dismiss it with dispatch!” I love his Mac translation – it helps me live hourly with the negatives that bombard our daily lives. And in Jeremiah 29 God tells us. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We can thrive on that promise,
Lyndi