A man entered a shoe store to purchase a pair of dress shoes for work. The clerk measured the man’s foot and said, “It looks like you need a size 11.”

“No”, replied the customer. “I wear a size 9. Please bring me a pair of size 9 black dress shoes to try on.”

The clerk thought to himself, “I won’t argue with him. He will soon change his mind after he tries to cram his feet into shoes that are way too small for him.” So he brought the man some size 9s to try on.

The customer pried and pushed until he finally jammed his feet into the shoes. He laced them up and took a few obviously painful steps across the floor. Then he turned to the clerk and said, “This pair is fine. I’ll take them.”

The stunned clerk could not keep his thoughts to himself. He exclaimed, “Sir, you and I both know that these shoes are far too small for you. Why in the world would you want to wear shoes that are so terribly uncomfortable?”

With a sigh of resignation, the customer shared the following.

“I hate my job. My boss is impossible to please, and he constantly stands over my shoulder, criticizing everything I do. When I come home in the evening, my wife begins her non-stop nagging. It seems I can never do anything right at home either. Then, there are my kids. All three of them are hyperactive, bouncing off the walls and yelling at the top of their voices. On top of all that, my mother-in-law lives with us. The only satisfaction I have in life is that, at the end of the day, I get to take off these tight shoes!”

I hope your life is better than that!

Remember that God “…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”—1 Timothy 6:17.