When God Walks Beside Us Wearing Someone Else’s Shoes

Have you ever wondered why it feels like God isn’t there when you are going through your most challenging seasons?  Do you ever wonder if He notices you struggle when life is hard and you are holding on to your faith by a thread?  Let’s talk about the possibility that God is there all along.  He is just wearing someone else’s shoes.

On a cold and blustery winter’s day, I spotted a solitary bird nest peering through the barren limbs of my Dogwood tree. I passed by the tree at least a thousand times during the summer and had never once noticed it was there. The foliage of summer completely concealed it from inquisitive eyes. I was fascinated that such a symbol of new life and God’s great care were visible right over my head, yet I overlooked it for months. 

How often do we think God’s goodness escapes us when our lives feel less than we planned for ourselves?

God’s intimate care can completely envelop us, yet we fail to understand it. It is often obscured by our fears, discontentments, and worries of the day—covered by sickness, loss, and complaints.  

In the book of Ruth, we read that grief and sorrow lay heavily upon Naomi’s heart. She felt forsaken and abandoned, even by God.  How could a good God allow bad things to happen to her? How could He allow such loss? Her mind, flooded with questions, brought her no rest or answers. She surrendered her heart to bitterness and gave up ever seeing the goodness of God again. 

As Naomi focused solely on all she had lost, God was already at work. She failed to see God moving in her life, but He was working things out for future blessings all around her. Even though she had lost her husband and sons, God had not forsaken her.  Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, labored tirelessly in the field to supply her needs, and her companionship kept her from being alone. Amid her grief, God was caring for Naomi through the hands and heart of Ruth. 

The words “it is not good for man to be alone” in Genesis 2:18 remind us that God understands the importance of community, for He created it. He sends us the people we need to share our journey with. While some come into our lives to stay, others come in and out for a season—all part of God’s remarkable timing to care for us.

God often uses friendships and the Christian community to nurture and strengthen us, especially during sorrow and pain. 

When pain and suffering are present in our lives, we are often quick to assume God has abandoned us. But when we look closer through spiritual eyes, we see these special times as sacred.

It is here that even though pain and suffering are present, the Lord dwells in our midst through the presence of others. He would use Ruth as His hands and feet to care for this grieving widow.

I admit I have often felt overlooked by God’s goodness on my most challenging days – days when I want to focus solely on what I don’t have and dismiss what I do have.

Recently, I received a text out of the blue. It was just a few words, yet they landed tenderly in my heart on a challenging day. The struggles of inconveniences and setbacks had piled up and left me feeling worn and battered. Then, just when I needed a word of encouragement, my friend’s words poured over my heart like healing oil. God used my friend to deliver a message of encouragement to His daughter on a hard day when she needed it most. 

Never underestimate the goodness of God to show up even unexpectedly.  He covers us with His feathers even in times we fail to notice. He shields us with His presence, protecting us from harm and staying near us through every season. He has a way of walking closely beside us along the most challenging roads, sometimes wearing someone else’s shoes.