There are two kinds of sneaker collectors. The first kind buys their sneakers and wears them. They want to show off their kicks, whether 20 seconds or 20 years old. There's some enjoyment in showing them off. The other kind of collector buys their sneakers, but actually never lets them touch the ground. The shoes are put in a room, typically in the original box and the only time they are shown off is when someone comes to their sneaker closet to see them. To me, the latter doesn't make too much sense. If I'm going to spend money on something, it doesn't make sense to keep it hidden. And while I respect people who do that, because hey, that's what they like, I will never do that.
The term for shoes that are never worn is deadstock. For example, if you want to find a pair of Bel-Air 5s (pair of Jordans, look them up), you would want to look for a pair that's deadstock. Otherwise, you're looking at a pair that has been worn already. Personally, unless something changes or I get multiple pairs of the same shoe, I will never keep my shoes deadstock.
When I was thinking about the idea of keeping things deadstock, I thought about keeping other things deadstock. Anyone keep clothes with the tags on? Nope. What about a good book? Didn't think so. Video games? That's what I thought. What about faith? Oh, now that hits home a little bit huh? The more I thought about this, the more convicted I got. I realized that I keep my faith in my closet in a box a lot more than I want to admit. What does that look like? To me, that looks like not letting Jesus show through 24/7. Only when people ask to see it (bring up a topic) or see your closet (church, Bible study) do people see your collection (faith).
Now here's my challenge: undeadstock your faith. Let people see it. Matthew talks about this. In chaper 5, verses 13-16, Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Buying a pair of shoes and keeping them in the box is silly. Buying a new pair of pants and keeping them in a closet with the tags on is silly. Lighting a candle and covering it with a bowl is silly. Believing Jesus Christ is Savior and not telling others how they can be saved is silly.
As always, if you need someone to talk to, please hit me up. I will say this over and over again, if this post helps just one person, has one person ask a question, or encourages one person, then my job is done. Thank you for taking a minute out of your day to read this. I'm honored that you would take some time to read something written by myself.
Mahal,
Nathan
Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones
Great post, love this message, I have defenitly fell victim to this, I know I struggle with fitting in/appearance. I know that when I'm with my friends, that I used to and with people I meet I will and would hide my faith. Really sets a fire in my heart after reading this, name is Matt Grenrood, I am a student at CVCS and will be a junior next year, I am also a fan of basketball and defenitly a big fan of hip hop. All this makes me think of Romans 1:16 (thanks 116 clique) and really hits home, you gave a sermon last school year( I believe in February of this year) that changed me forever. I decided to really take my walk with God seriously and started to pursue him and clean up the sin in my life. I just wanted to you to know that what ya say and do is changing people and making an impact, it defenitly has and is impacting me in a big way
ReplyDeleteKeep spreading the word,
Matt