Sandals with a Voice

Philippians 4:19 “ But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

     Pablo lives in the Andes Mountains of South America. He is a shy, little Quechua Indian boy.  Just like everyone else in his village, Pablo wears sandals every day. They are made of rubber from old truck tires and they have a voice; but whose voice is it?

     To visit Pablo’s village you have to drive up a winding, bumpy, mountain road.  On the way you can see llamas, sheep, and goats roaming the mountainside. Pablo’s family is very poor; they live in a house made of mud bricks with a grass roof. His parents plant potatoes and tend to their animals.  Pablo and his brothers and sisters help to milk the cows and work in the fields with their parents.

      One Christmas everyone in the village was very excited because missionaries were coming to visit and bringing gifts, food, and a doctor to help the sick people. Pablo got up early that morning so he could finish his work before the missionaries arrived. He climbed up the mountain with his sheep and goats, and patiently waited as they ate the green grass. When they finished eating he scurried to move them towards home, thinking only of the presents awaiting him.

      Halfway home it began to rain.  Spotting a cave in the mountainside he bolted towards it, his animals following behind.  When he was almost there he slipped on the wet grass and landed on a sharp rock, narrowly escaping a dangerous fall down the steep mountain. Lifting himself up, he limped to the cave; his foot was hurting and one of his sandals was missing. He was wet and shivering; he just wanted to get home.

      The storm soon passed and he continued on his journey, hoping to find his sandal as he walked. In a distance he could see a skinny, black dog running towards him. As the dog got closer Pablo could see his sandal hanging from the friendly dog’s mouth. He offered it a piece of bread in exchange for the sandal and the hungry dog happily accepted the trade.

       Pablo slipped the chewed sandal on his sore foot and hobbled homeward.  He was crying and thinking about his parents; they had no money for new sandals.

      Limping into his village he was surprised to see the missionaries had already arrived.  The doctor and nurse ran to help Pablo and carried him to a table to clean his wounds. What nice people, Pablo thought; they talked about how much God loved him. They said God supplies everything you need and God sent them to his village just in time to help him. Pablo knew he sure needed a doctor just then.

      The next day Pablo received new clothes and toys from the missionaries and one very special gift. They brought new sandals for everyone, including him. He needed new sandals and God supplied his need again.

      Pablo ran to tell his parents about the sandals; he said his sandals told him something. Of course they laughed because sandals can’t talk, but Pablo had learned something about God. He told them,  “Jesus loves us so much he does things that tell us He loves us.” Pablo’s sandals didn’t speak to him with words; they spoke with love, and said to him, “Jesus loves you.” If we listen we can hear God’s voice through many things, even through sandals. The Bible says God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

  How do you hear God’s voice telling you that Jesus loves you?