Boot Aisle Blessings

So the other day, I stopped into the Erie City Mission Thrifty Shopper —which is not too far off of my exit —to only look for a particular type of riding-style boots I wanted. So… I didn’t grab a cart.

Big mistake. You always get a cart, right? Because 10 minutes later, my arms were completely full of a cute pair of sneakers, a picture frame, and two large pre-lit Christmas garlands!

(You know how that goes — you go in for one thing, come out with ten others.)

So I checked out, walked out to my car… and realized — no keys!! Nowhere. Cue the panic.

Shout out to the kind cashier and customers — we all retraced steps, checked shelves, peeked under racks. Nothing. I even looked through my locked car window, hoping maybe they’d fallen on the seat. Nope.

Then I remembered sitting down for a second in the furniture section to try on shoes. I’d checked that chair earlier, but I went back one more time with the cashier — and that’s when I noticed… a section I’d completely missed before.

And hanging right there in front — the exact pair of boots I’d been searching for. In my size, like new, and half price!

And in the next room? My keys. They’d slid right between that chair and the matching stool.

So not only did I find my keys — I found the boots, too.

And it reminded me — sometimes we get frustrated when we are delayed or things don’t go our way, when we’re stuck waiting or searching. But maybe God’s delay is His way of leading us to a blessing we might’ve missed otherwise.

Isaiah 55:8 says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

So next time you feel stuck — or lose your keys — maybe God’s just helping you see the “boot aisle blessing” you didn’t know was waiting….