The Walking Retread

Sorry for the play on the TV show name but it seemed appropriate for today's discussion.  As I have talked about some in past blogs, one of the things I get to do a lot of is walk.  I normally walk 5 miles (total-3 at the site and 2 in town to the bus station) one way each time I go to the site.  I normally get to walk 2-4 hours around town depending on where all I have to go and that is a trip I make every day when the Doctor does not have me on restrictions.  All this walking has had some really great benefits.  I have lost a significant amount of weight-how much I have no clue as I have not looked for or seen any scales to weigh myself with.  I can tell you my current blue jeans have about a 3 inch gap in the front from jeans to stomach.

One of the things I was not expecting to happen as quickly as it did, was that all this walking has worn out my shoe treads.  Both shoes have some pretty heavy damage but my hikers were showing the worst of it.  As you can see by some of the following pictures:

So I considered buying new shoes but they seemed a bit expensive at $45 after conversion and since I normally only pay $25 max at home I decided to look for other alternatives.  I decided to take them to a shoe place that has lots of shoe soles on display thinking they would attach one of those to my shoes for a decent price.  No they would not but they would retread my existing shoe soles with tread from a vehicle tire for around $8.  We have a winner!

I have no clue how long they will last but not only did they glue a new sole on the bottom they cleaned them up and it only took 5 hours.  Here is the current version:

Now that I have some spiffy new retreads and the doctor has cleared me to walk to and from town again I am back to my daily 4 to 5 miles of walking as I do my work.  As I walk I often try to meditate on the Bible verses I have been reading.  As you may recall from a previous post, I am working my way through the Bible from cover to cover in order and not in jumps and short segments but devouring as one would read a secular novel that consumes you.  Currently I am finished with the Old Testament and about half way through Matthew.

Several things have come to mind.  First thinking of the Israelite people in the desert after leaving Egypt and then for another 40 years after they did not believe God would deliver the land he promised into their hands.  But it says they did not wear out a sandal in this time(Deuteronomy 29:5).  I can't get a shoe to last 4 months.  How amazing is it that theirs lasted 40+ years.

Second is it seemed I was constantly wearing myself out over the years worrying about things, controlling things or trying to at least.  Before I started to work on my end of my relationship with God, I did wear out things in my life and struggled with who I was, what my purpose was and so many other things.  

The beautiful thing is after realizing that God was waiting on me and all I had to do was accept the salvation given to me and the real relationship with a living God, I seem to be have a new soul that does not wear out like the one I was trying to make or buy before.  

I am glad God retreaded me!