The Spiritual Version of Going from Payless to Louboutins... Upgradin' Baby!

It's been one of those seasons... actually, it's been 2014. The Year of Letting Go. Which, in some ways is true. But instead, I like to think of it as The Year of Upgrades. I think if it was only called The Year of Letting Go, I would have tapped out, gone 4 pints deep in Ben Jerry's binging on Real Housewives of New Jersey and taking "showers" that consisted of dry shampoo and deodorant.

I'm a gift giver. That's my love language through and through. I love stuff. I love to get presents. I love to give presents. Presents speak to my heart. Presents and I, we get each other. And Jesus knows that. Coming from someone who is a gift giver, having the Year of Letting Go is my version of Red Alert. Panic Button. Mach 5 Freak Out. It's asking a gift giver to give away their favorite presents. Aw, hell naw. That was my initial reaction.

Then, my second reaction was negotiating with God. Actually, it was probably closer to arguing but negotiating sounds holier. So that's what we're going with. I was trying to explain to God that really, I was quite happy with what I had but he was asking me to upgrade (who doesn't want an upgrade-- at the Verizon store, with your used Chevy, can I get an amen?). But upgrading can be sad. The best way I can describe it is with shoes. The "shoes" I was walking in were really cute and getting me where I needed to go. And I loved them. During one of our negotiating conversations, God showed me a picture of myself wearing Payless shoes and he asked me if I would give them to him so he could give me Louboutins. And that was all I needed.

I gave away my pair of Payless. But now I'm in the hard part. I'm still waiting for my Loubies. I'm looking at my life without a cloud in the sky, believing that rain is coming. And I know my Loubies coming. But I haven't seen them yet. I'm here to encourage you and say, DON'T GIVE UP. Don't let your sunny sky tell you that it's never going to change.

If you live a life comfortable in Payless, you will have a Payless future. But if you live your life with Louboutin-level dreams, then you will have a Louboutin future. Don't be afraid if you can't see on the other side of what God is asking you to let go of. He's not asking to let go. He's trying to give you an upgrade. So stop wearing Payless. They never looked on you anyway.

Just as a little visual reference. Here are some Payless and Louboutins to help illustrate my point a little better. And I actually tried to find the best Payless had to offer for an honest comparison. Sister sent me this visual the other day that fit with this too.


Would you rather....

This... Or this...

           This...        Or this...

           This...        Or this...