The other day, as I was walking, I noticed something was bothering me as I walked. I imagined that it was a pebble in my shoe, but I kept walking because I didn't want to take my shoe off in front of everyone. Then, later on, because it was so bothersome, I had to finally take my shoe off to take out the pebble and end my suffering. This got me thinking that sometimes, we decide to keep walking with a pebble in our shoes. As Muhammad Ali said, "It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe." Things like insecurities, unforgiveness, jealousy, negativity, doubt, pride, and the lack of or low self-esteem, among other stuff, we tolerate just because we don't want to expose them out in the open for everyone to see. Be sincere with yourself: what is the pebble you need to remove from your shoe?
A pebble may eventually get in the way of you getting into where you want to go. In life, those pebbles in our shoes cause trouble and pain. They will eventually prevent us from achieving our goals because what could have been something small, with time, becomes larger and more difficult to deal with. Everything I mentioned before that represents the pebble in this metaphor will gradually stop you from growing and thriving. That is why we must not overlook them. Those pebbles need to come out so we can continue walking the right path; otherwise, we will get delayed or even get off track. It is important to act whenever we realize that our insecurities, unforgiveness, jealousy, negativity, doubt, pride, and the lack of or low self-esteem, among other stuff, are preventing us from achieving our goals.
Today, let's take that pebble from our shoes and deal with it. Take all those pebbles before God and let Him guide you and help you work with them. It may take time, but in the end, it would save you from experiencing more pain and from getting stuck.
