Two Left Feet

By Alexandra Copeland 

When my son began getting himself dressed on his own, he had the worse time. Like most preschoolers, he neither cared for matching colors or putting stripes with polka dots. He put on garments that amused him for whatever reason, and his attachment to the outfit of the day was rather fixed. Shirts were never buttoned correctly, tee-shirts were almost always inside out, and shorts in the dead of winter were a given; but what struck us most was the fact that he could not tell his left shoe from the right, and seemed to be most comfortable wearing his shoes this way. This lasted until he was in grade school.

His dad and I constantly reminded him to change his shoes. It was almost an everyday thing. Some of his classmates were not kind, and made fun of him on those days when he ran off to the bus before we could check his feet. He’d come home deflated and quiet, and it broke my heart every time. After receiving so much flack about it, one would think that he’d learn to be fastidious about checking his shoes. The thing is, what looked wrong to most looked right to him. He couldn’t tell when his shoes were on the wrong feet, even at the age of seven. He’d walk as if he had two left feet all the time, and it was the oddest thing to watch, but it felt natural to him. 

For some of us, the difficult things come easy and ordinarily simple things are difficult. As we mature and become independent, this can make life seem more challenging than we could ever have imagined. We might find that we don’t quite fit in with others. I praise Heavenly Father that I was chosen to be my son’s mom, because I understood many of the challenges he faced; I had faced them as well. I was clumsy, taller and larger than most girls my age; and to top that all off, I was very shy and introspective. I might as well have had a target on my back.

1Corinthians 1:27 (NLT) tells us, “Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” This verse resonates with me so deeply, because I, like so many others, know what it feels like to be an outsider. So many people feel discarded and pushed to the side by society, and the world to them seems an especially ugly place. You feel as if no one understands you, and all you want is to be accepted and valued like everyone else. 

Even within the Body of Christ there are clicks and popularity contests. Others are sometimes made to feel out of place because they don’t wear the “right” clothes and look a certain way, or because they may not be as expressive and vocal as others. We have to understand that there are many people that are introverted or eccentric, and they are as wonderful and extraordinary as everyone else. We need to make room in our hearts for them so that we can begin to minister to individuals that need to be validated and appreciated, but often go unnoticed. 

Remember our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the kind of bullying and abuse that was hurled his way. Even by his own people he was mocked because he did not fit the mold of the kind of King and Messiah they had in mind. In Galatians 3:13 (NLT), we can see clearly that he endured the worst punishment. He was willing to deal with us right where we were, so that He could redeem us from the curse of the law. It says, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”” A death by crucifixion was looked upon as the worse form of punishment. Anyone subject to it was branded as a cursed individual. The Highest King was brought low for our benefit, and those living during his time couldn’t reconcile it in their minds. Their hearts were cold. 

1Corinthians 1:18(NLT) tells us, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” Some people living during his time (and many that are living today) were thinking in a very worldly sense, expecting that Jesus Christ should be adorned with the finest garments and jewelry like Solomon. They wanted a sign that would speak to their human wisdom, but 1Corinthians 1:21 informs us, "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe."

Had the majesty and excellence of Christ been revealed in extreme splendor and grandeur openly, everyone would have been on their best behavior. They would have lavished him with gifts galore, and pretended to love and adore him, even though their hearts were crooked on the inside. Jesus did not come to earth for that. He restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf; he healed the sick and casted out demons from those that were possessed and oppressed by them. He came to show us the way, the truth, and the life. There was no hint of superficiality or anything inauthentic in his presence. He was and is pure love; and he revealed the heart of God to us. 

By walking upon this earth, he drove a wedge between the truth and a lie for all to see. Those whose hearts were consumed with the wisdom of the world could not see it, but those who are being saved by the power of God know that he is King! 

The world may cast many of us aside, but it is a wonderful thing to know that Heavenly Father gets us, and He loves us. We are never forgotten in His eyes. He sees the hidden talents, gifts, and abilities within us that others may not see. He has locked treasures inside us, and has a specific purpose for them to be revealed at His appointed time.  

My son may have had two left feet, and felt more comfortable marching to his own beat, but he found his way and did so beautifully. He wasn’t alone. There are many of us that have felt as though we’ve had two left feet at some point in life as well. We need to remind ourselves how lonely and isolating that place can be. We cannot be like the world and add to the pain and loneliness of those that are feeling isolated. We’ve been commissioned by the Master to lookout for them and show compassion. They are struggling to find a soft place to land, and through the love of Christ, we can be the friend and confidant that makes all the difference in their lives.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.