before attempting to help those around you .” You must take care of yourself in order to take care of others .
But what about the immaculate , spotless , snowy white high-top Vans !?
They ’ re fine . I washed them and wear them to this day . And just like every other shoe that came before them , they ’ ve become more worn with time . You see , I was focused on the wrong thing . I cared more about what the shoes looked like than the thing they helped me do . I cared more about people ’ s perception ( and honestly , my own perception ) of who they thought I was because I looked a certain way .
This should serve as a gut check to all of us . Why do we really do what we do ? It is to do good , or is it to be viewed as someone who does good ? There ’ s a big difference there . There have been times where I was so extremely giving of my time and resources , and as I look back , I realize I did it for recognition , not purely out of the goodness of my heart . Were people still helped ? Yes . Did that act make a difference in someone ’ s life ? Yes . But does that mean it was done for the right reasons ? No .
There is an episode of Friends where Phoebe sets out to prove to Joey that there is no such a thing as a selfless act . Even by getting a good feeling as a result of a good deed , Phoebe viewed that good deed as ruined . While they question if altruism is possible for anyone , I wonder if we ’ re asking the wrong question . As I mentioned before , it ’ s easy to get frustrated with yourself because you feel like you ’ re not “ doing good right .” Rather than try to hold ourselves to an unmeetable standard , could we rather build regular check-ins into our processes so we can graciously and lovingly pour from our cup when it ’ s full , take steps to recognize when it ’ s empty , and give ourselves permission to be ok with needing to course correct ourselves from time to time .
May we all make space to take care of ourselves as we take care of others . Let us be mindful of why we do what we do , who we do it for , and the impact we can have on those around us . And I pray that we please remember to wash our proverbial and literal shoes more than once every 6 years .
By the way , remove your laces and insoles and place shoes in a closed mesh bag . This helps preserve the condition of your sneakers and prevent your washer from damage . Wash in a gentle , cold-water cycle one a slow or nospin setting . After washing , tie a knot in your mesh bag and shut the bag into the door so that the knot is on the outside and shoes are on the inside . This prevents damage as the dryer spins . Once dry , replace insoles re-lace , and start walking .
Jesse Schaefer Junior Product Marketing Manager at MultiTracks . com . To learn about their tracks app Playback , chart apps and resources , and how it can all work together to provide tracks , control lyrics and lights , and help equip your team to lead worship well , visit
MultiTracks . com .