I’m sure that you have heard the expression “Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop.”  Ever wonder where this saying came from?  My husband likes to know where sayings come from, so we have some interesting conversations about the origins of many common phrases.   I bought him a book that dealt solely with this topic.  I tried to find that book today to discover this phrase’s meaning, but of course, I couldn’t find it!

Anyway, here’s my research about the origin and meaning.  It appears that the phrase came from apartment/tenement dwellers, who hearing a shoe fall on the floor above, waited expectantly for the other shoe to fall.  Makes sense to me.

So, it can be interpreted to mean waiting expectantly for an event.  An event that can be anticipated predicated on the previous event i.e.  first one shoe hits the floor, then the other.  Or the toddler falls (one shoe) and then begins to cry (the other shoe).

Aren’t we all waiting for the other shoe to fall?  This world-wide crisis has left us reeling with the unknown as to exactly what the other shoe will be and when it will fall.  Waiting for the unknown to happen can up the anxiety quotient exponentially.

We yearn for a return to our normal life patterns of predictability and stability.  We yearn to get back to making a difference in the world.  We fear that our lives will never return to the comfortable level of just a few short weeks ago.

Now is the time to grab out for the lifeline of the God who loves us unconditionally.  Surrender completely and totally to His will, as unknown as it may be, and trust in His love and wisdom.  Both of which are beyond our understanding.

Don’t worry about the other shoe.  It’s going to fall no matter how hard you fret about it or wish it away.  However, God is always with us.  God will always love us.  God will show us the way.  Read Psalm 45:1-3 and rest assured.

Terri