And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment... —Colossians 3:14 (msg)
I needed a new outfit for a fancy banquet. I’d be meeting people and making connections. I wanted to appear put-together, sophisticated, and stylish in my semiformal attire. Mother helped me choose a knee-length black dress with turquoise and silver jewels around the neckline. She suggested dangling silver earrings with a matching bracelet, and then we headed to the shoe department.
“Shoes make such a statement,” she said.
I tried on a pair of silver sandals. Mother said they looked “just darling.”
Saturday night arrived; time for the gala event! I dressed carefully, grabbed my silver purse, and as I stepped off the elevator, the strap to my sandal snapped in two. I hobbled across the lobby to my friend Lynne, whom I’d met the night before.
Lynne hugged me. “Not a problem. Wait here, honey.” She returned with a roll of duct tape. Lynne had worked in theater and taught acting classes. She fixed my sandal in seconds, though part of the duct tape showed. “Smile real big and nobody will notice your feet.”
Miraculously, as I moved through the crowd doing what Lynne suggested, the most amazing thing happened: I completely forgot about my dilapidated shoe and focused on others. When I greeted people in genuine love, everyone smiled back.
