The History of the story around the phrase Little Goody Two-Shoes revolves around a poor orphan named Margery Meanwell, whose virtuous farmer father is ruined before his death by a pair of villains called Graspall and Gripe. Margery is so poor she has only one shoe, but a rich relative of the local clergyman takes pity on her and buys her a second one. Margery is so excited by her gift that she runs around exclaiming, "Two shoes, ma'am, two shoes!", or something to that effect, to everyone she meets. In the story, she eventually becomes a schoolteacher and marries a rich man, using her wealth to help the poor. The story was in keeping with the 18th and 19th century taste for gratingly virtuous heroes and heroines in kids’ books and became a huge bestseller, reprinted over and over in various forms.
There is a Biblical way of reaching the lost and encouraging believers that I think we miss sometimes. It is a natural way to live for those have made Jesus Lord and Savior. The way I am talking about is giving back in gratitude what God has given to us. In 1 Peter 3 Peter calls it "doing good" and calls us to be "eager" in doing good. Peter asks the question in verse 13 "Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?" This a very good question and i want to take it one step further. "Who will not give you a listening ear if you do good to them with a random act of kindness?" Even in the lost world we live in we see there is a reciprocating effect that doing good can cause. Random acts of kindness and generosty lead to other acts of the same. This is an offensive weapon and not a defensive weapon because we are giving and expecting nothing in return. A real "gift!" Prideful people sometimes have problems with gifts that expect no return because it takes the giving out of their hands and puts it in the wheelhouse of those who are giving. So when we bless someone else we are truly the ones receiving the blessing. The return for those who are giving is an open ear by those who receive to find out the "why" of the gift. This is where verse 15 becomes a lot more understandable. Verse 15 "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. In other words our doing good will prompt a question from a non-believer and give an open door to share our faith and show why we are who we are!! GENIUS!!
1 Peter 3:13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
So many times we try not to do wrong, when we should be looking at the glass as half full and moving into a realm of doing good and that does involve giving of our ourselves. And it is not only money. It can be in service, prayer, and many other things and those Random Acts of Kindness will open the door for sharing your faith in a whole new way. Especially now as selfishness and narcissism have become the norm and they both lead to becoming inward thinking and not outward thinking. Narcissism (def)- excessvie interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance. Selfishness (def) - Lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure. Doing good is the total opposite of those two things
The perspective change. In the Goody Two Shoes story the girl only has one shoe but a rich lady who knows the need takes "pity" on her and gives her a new "pair" of shoes and she runs around yelling "Two shoes, Two shoes!" to everyone she meets. Her gratitude is noticeable not only then but later in life as she also takes her wealth that comes from marrying a rich man and gives back wherever she goes. We may think that goody two shoes means someone who thinks they are better than someone else. But in reality it is the long standing cry of someone who has only one shoe being gifted with two shoes. So it is more like "Goody...Two shoes!" We sing the hymn Amazing Grace and love the tune and the warm fuzzies of past memories it gives to us, but in reality it makes the same point as Goody...Two Shoes in the chorus where it says "I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind put now I see!" To which I hear "Two shoes, two shoes!!"
We are found doing good because good has been done to us and we can't help ourselves but give back because we have been blessed and then telling others how this blessing is possible. May we shout it from the mountaintops "One salvation, one salvation" and then tell how we came to acquire it. Give it away because we are part of a forever family and God has richly blessed us so we can bless others. Might we take pity on the lost and share our hope so they can some day say.....TWO SHOES, TWO SHOES!!
The Pilgrimage continues......
David Warren
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