Pink Slippers

When I was a little girl, I almost never wore shoes. I didn’t see the need for them. But when I rode my bike, I had to scrounge up a pair. The pedals of my bike had jagged prongs on them, and they would hurt my bare feet.

I remember one sunny morning I really wanted to ride my bike. I was eight years old, and I had places to explore! I looked for a pair of shoes and found little pink slippers. I didn’t know whose they were, but they might have been hand-me-downs. I slipped them on, and I felt feminine and beautiful. I tiptoed out the front door like a ballerina.

I hopped on my bike, and leisurely rode around my block. I took in the soft summer breeze and the early morning glow of the sun. I coasted to an intersection, got off my bike and waited for the light to turn green. There was another little girl on the sidewalk waiting to cross the street with me. She was a few years older than I was. She stared at me for a good while then looked at my slippers and said, “Nice shoes.”

I looked down at my slippers and analyzed what she saw. Until this day, I still have the image of them in my mind. Although it was obvious they were once pink, they had turned a brownish color with dirty smudges across the plastic sides. There was a hole where my right big toe was and you could see my toe sticking out. The seams where the plastic tops were sewn to the soles were unraveling. The strap across the top of the left slipper was broken. I think about them now and realize that they should have been thrown away years ago.

Because I had no clue what sarcasm was, I thought the little girl was being genuine with her compliment. I stared back up at her face and beamed a smile, “Thank you,” I said. “These are my new slippers.”

The girl looked at me for a moment longer, chuckled and walked off.

I had found a treasure, and I was so pleased someone else had noticed. In my childish mind, I only knew that slippers were beautiful. It didn’t matter to me the condition of them.

And you are beautiful to the Creator. He has made you into His treasure and it doesn’t matter what the world has put you through or what kind of condition you find yourself. You are valued simply because You are His.

God doesn’t see the smudges, the holes or the unraveling seams; He only sees you – His beautiful slippers. Why? Because God came into this world in a form of a man, taught us how to love, and took the ugliness of our lives. Jesus Christ shields God’s view of our sin, so God only sees beauty. If you don’t feel beautiful, worthy or valued; then you might be viewing yourself through the world’s eyes. See yourself through God’s eyes, and you’ll wake up every morning feeling like the treasure you were created to be.




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