A couple of weeks ago I was walking down the sidewalk and complemented a woman on her cute outfit, only to have her turn her head as she passed by and say, “I love your shoes!”
In and of itself that comment might not be worth mentioning except for the fact that I’ve heard that exact same thing about those exact same shoes from so many women over the past five years (yes, my shoes are that old) that I’ve lost count! I don’t know what it is about them that catches the eye, but they’ve definitely been quite the conversation starter time and again.
I even remember wearing them four years ago when my pastor interviewed me one Sunday morning about The Abba Project. Both of us sat on stools, which is significant to note because my shoes were apparently more readily seen from that vantage point than had I been standing.
Fast forward to the next Friday as I stood in line at Staples while wearing my infamous pair of shoes when a women who had been in that church service sheepishly approached me and said,
“I wasn’t sure if that was you but then I looked down and saw your shoes and definitely knew it was you!”
Her comment was so delightfully funny to me that I took a picture of my feet right then and there and immediately shared the serendipitous story on social media. Suffice it to say, the responses poured in and my shoes again were the talk of the town!
All of this simply raises the question: What is it about women and their shoes?
Because I write this blog to help fathers better understand, relate to, connect with, and dial in to their daughter’s heart space, it seems worthy of underscoring the fact to you dads that: shoes matter.
Don’t ask why. They just do.
Although I realize this all may sound a bit ridiculous, I might as well continue and say it another way: Maybe there’s a correlation between caring about your daughter’s heart and caring about your daughter’s feet.
Since we’re on the topic of that which dons the foot, let’s go ahead and step into the land of pedicures, shall we?
It’s the rare woman who doesn’t love a pedicure. I guess there’s something about being pampered and having beautiful toes that “meets a need” in us girls.
Now I’m guessing that you may have had this thought cross your mind a time or two and if so, it may have sounded something like this: If God wanted you to have painted toenails, He would have made you with them.
But that, my friend, is not going to get you very far if you really want to connect with your daughter. Of course painted toenails aren’t a necessity. But sometimes it’s those little, unnecessary things that you do that really show you care. Truth be told, it says so much about our worth and value when you, Dad, tune in to the non-essentials, not just the essentials.
And though I truly am saying this tongue-in-cheek, I guess this podiatry focus resonates with the heart of God in a way because He has gone on record as saying:
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.”
(Isaiah 52:7)
Perhaps if God Himself values beautiful feet doing a good thing, could it be that He also supports a dad who follows His example by valuing the same?
All this to say, why not take a step forward and trust that your daughter will be blown away if you decide to show love to her feet.
Think of it as supporting that which holds her upright as she stands solidly and confidently in who she is, grounded in the truth that her dad cares about the soles on which she is positioned.
I doubt you’ll ever look at her feet the same after reading this blog. So why not use this as a springboard to invest in the beautiful feet of your precious daughter today. Trust me: she’ll be glad you did!
Dr. Michelle Watson has a clinical counseling practice in Portland, Oregon, and has served in that role for the past 17 years. She is founder of The Abba Project, a 9-month group forum that is designed to equip dads with daughters ages 13 to 30 to dial in with more intention and consistency, and has recently released her first book entitled, Dad, Here’s What I Really Need from You: A Guide for Connecting with Your Daughter’s Heart. She invites you to visit drmichellewatson.com for more information and to sign up for her weekly Dad-Daughter Friday blogs, where she provides practical tools so that every dad in America can become the action hero they want to be and their daughters need them to be. You can also follow or send feedback on Facebook and Twitter.
For the original article, visit drmichellewatson.com.
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