With our busy schedules, sometimes we need a reminder that simplicity leads to joy and that the opposite of poverty is not wealth. Rather, it’s finding God is enough—for us and helps us be enough for others. We call it “living from enough.”
We’ve listened to families and churches in the USA and Canada to find what can help us live from enough. We’ve learned that families long to step into the shoes of a family in need to see how others find sufficiency, and then to step into Jesus’ words in the Bible and follow in His footsteps.
We peek into the daily life of Ugandan Pastor Tom, his wife Nancy and their children, seeing how they gather water, get food, find safety as they sleep, worship and spend time together, and more. We see that God’s sufficiency can take many forms and then find ways to choose our own next step—a way our family can practically, joyfully, help a child in need—near or far.
Step Into My Shoes is for families to do on their own or together with a small group. While most activities are geared for kids ages 5-12, suggestions are provided for how to tailor this to preschool and teen family members.
We all can use some help doing what we really mean to do, sometimes. Step Into My Shoes helps shift a family’s focus from to-do lists and busy schedules to God’s provision of enough. The provision offered through the Holy Spirit of belonging, purpose, resources and ideas to live the abundant life Jesus promised–for our good and to seek others’ good too. We call this “living from God’s enough.”
Sometimes we’re told to sign up for this or give that, but we really don’t have a chance to hear from God about His purposes for us or how He designs us to bring more of his Kingdom goodness to where He calls us. Step Into My Shoes goes back a step or two, and focuses on God’s purpose and power and then invites us to prayerfully commit to one family to serve, either locally or globally. In addition, to keep the transformation going, it provides an ongoing blog, fresh with ideas that keep our families seeing the world through God’s eyes—no passport required.
Step Into My Shoes can run alongside regularly scheduled programming and families typically devote 10 minutes together, over a meal or at bedtime, for a midweek video and devotional. On the weekend, when schedules are freer, there’s a hands-on, eye-opening activity that lasts 30 minutes, or more if a family wants to go deeper.
This is a free gift to the Church on behalf of children in poverty, offered prayerfully by Compassion.
Yes! Although all the basics you’ll need are available through this website. If you want a physical journey guide, you can order that here.