Dirty Shoes

Last month when I was unpacking from camping I looked at Gabe's little shoes.  They were dirty and worn.  They even had some holes in them.  I looked at them and for an instant wished that that his shoes weren't so dirty. I wished that they were perfect and clean.  Why couldn't I be more organized and keep everything perfect?   I wished everything I owned was perfect and clean.  
 Then I deiced I didn't really wish that.  Not at all.  What makes a pair of kids shoes dirty and worn?   As I sat there and looked at his shoes I imagined all the things he had done in those shoes.  I imagined his little brain growing as he tromped through the mud.  I thought about his love for the mountains growing as he went hiking with his strong dad.  I thought about his little legs peddling and heart beating as he learned to ride a bike.  All the things that are not replaceable.  What would he be missing if I never let him get his shoes dirty? Would it be worth him missing out on all those paramount activities for a pair of clean shoes? No, no, not at all.  I think I love his dirty little shoes.