An unknown man told this story, and while it touched my heart, it also struck a cord of familiarty. Maybe not to the depth of this man, but still… See if it touches your heart or reminds you of someone who looks back at you from the mirror.
Here’s his story:
“I showered and shaved, and adjusted my tie. I got there and sat in a pew just in time. I bowed my head in prayer, and as I closed my eyes, I saw the shoe of the man next to me touching my own shoe! I sighed. With plenty of room on either side, I thought, why must our soles touch? It bothered me; his shoe touching mine. But it didn’t seem to bother him much.
A prayer began: “Our Father…” I thought, This man with with the shoes has no pride. His shoes are dusty, tattered and worn. Even worse, there are holes on the side! “Thank You for blessings,” the prayer continued. The shoe man said a quiet “Amen.”
I tried to focus on the prayer, but my thoughts were on his shoes again. Aren’t we supposed to look our best when walking through that door? Well, this certainly isn’t it, and glanced toward the floor. Then the prayer ended and the song of praise began. The shoe man was certainly loud – sounding proud as he sang, His voice lifted the rafters – his hands were raised high. The Lord could surely hear the shoe man’s voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering, and what I threw in was steep. I watched as the shoe man reached into pockets so deep. I saw what the shoe man put in. Then I heard a soft clink as when silver hits tin.
At the end of the service, as is the custom here, we must greet new visitors, and show them all good cheer, But I felt moved somehow and wanted to meet the shoe man, so after the closing prayer, I reached over and shook his hand. He was old and his skin was dark and his hair was truly a mess. But I thanked him for coming – for being our guest.
He said “My name’s Charlie. I’m glad to meet you, my friend,” There were tears in his eyes, but he had a wide grin. Let me explain,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I’ve been coming here for months, and you’re the first to say ‘Hi.’ I know that my appearance is not like all the rest, but I really do try to always look my best. I clean and polish my shoes before my very long walk, but by the time I get here, they’re dirty and dusty like chalk.
Touched deep in the soul ~
My heart filled with pain and I swallowed to hide my tears, as he contined to apologize for daring to sit so near. He said, “When I get here, I know I must look a sight, but I thought if I could touch you, then maybe our souls might unite.”
I was silent for a moment. “Oh, you’ve touched me,” I said. “You taught me in part that the best of any man is found in his heart.”
The rest this shoe man will never know – like just how thankful I really am that his dirty old shoe touched my soul.