My Own Red Shoe Issues

My Aunt Berta passed away this week. Had she lived until July 2, she would have been 97 years old. She was one of the most religious people I have ever known, and frankly, I struggle with how I feel about the kind of religion she practiced. She told me one time, "I remember back when there were only black shoes and brown shoes. When they started making red shoes, I thought wearing red shoes was a sin." She laughed, and said, "Isn't that funny?"

Yes, I did think it was funny, but I also had to muse at all the other things she continued to think were sinful which really don't have any basis for being labeled as such according to New Testament teachings. For example, not only did she believe women are supposed to only wear long dresses, but   her modesty standards demanded arms were not to be seen, either...only long sleeves were acceptable. Most jewelry as adornment was not permissible, but wearing broaches and pins on sweaters and coats was okay. Long hair and beards on men are a no-no, even though her apartment was adorned with lovely "portraits" of Jesus with flowing locks and well-trimmed facial hair. Tattoos? Forbidden!

I hesitate to write these things about my aunt because it might sound as though I'm judging her. However, I try not to judge because she was sincere in her beliefs, and it is a dilemma for all believers, I think, to find a way to live in the world according to our own earnest perception of God and his requirements of us. I know many think the Bible is all "black and white" with no grey areas, but that just isn't true. Those areas in the Bible which are not clearly defined are how we tend to get caught up in distracting details, the kind of details Jesus doesn't appear to have been all that concerned with.

The larger issues of love, understanding and compassion must be what unite us. Unity is what Jesus prayed would be the trademark of his followers. We have allowed the details to fragment us to such an extent that unity is definitely not what the Christian world is known for. What a shame, and beyond that, I believe our lack of unity is perhaps the biggest sin of all. When we can't work together because our specific opinions don't line up, we are not serving Jesus effectively. Our bickering amongst ourselves is not, to say the least, appealing to those outside our faith.

I do not follow the same path my aunt followed and many Christians don't agree with the path I've chosen, but that's okay, and that's my point. It seems many of us have certain needs in what we believe will allow us to remain close to God, but those needs don't necessarily apply to others. The fact is just like a red herring in literature, we all have "red shoe" issues in our beliefs, those things which distract us from the actual teachings of Jesus and can lead the church in the way of strife and discord. My aunt and I (sometimes, sharply) disagreed on certain things, but she taught me many lessons over the years. For me to continually seek to understand what kind of red shoe issues I'm hanging onto is my Aunt Berta's greatest legacy to me.