Sneakers

“Sneakers”
Major Betzann Carroll

Early in our ministry my husband and I were awakened by a telephone call. It had been a strenuous day in the Plymouth, Massachusetts’s corps and having just fallen asleep, it was difficult to answer the 2:00 AM call. The voice I heard was not familiar. I searched my memory trying to recognize the voice, but without success. She said, “Does The Salvation Army accept used clothes? I wanted to answer immediately “Of course they do, everyone knows that!” Yet I just listened. Her voice became shaky and hard to understand. She continued, “My husband has died and will not need these clothes anymore. They are in good condition, washed, folded and like new.

Several years later the daughter of one of the finest officers I have ever known called. She said. “Dad has served the Lord faithfully in his retirement.” It was true! He had come to rescue us when we were sent to a difficult appointment. He got our “books” in order and came often to help us keep our financial accounts straight. “Now that Dad is gone, it would be fitting for the men in your homeless shelter to get some use out of his clothes. There are socks, shoes, shirts, and all kinds of clean, folded, useable clothing.”

Several years later a similar request came from one of our Advisory Board Members in Cambridge. After sixty-five years of marriage, his wife was gone. She had beautiful clothes, some she had never worn. His great concern was, “Can you give them to someone?”

Why were clothes so important? Why were socks and shoes of such great concern to someone who had just lost a dad or their life’s partner? Why?

On Tuesday, April 27, 1997 my mother-in-law was promoted to glory. She had been another mother to me in the absence of my mother. Both of my husbands’ parents were visiting with us on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday prior to her death. They toured our corps, entertained family and friends in our parlor and slept in our room. They left Sunday morning and she died on Monday.

It was unbelievable. Now she would be buried from our corps. I tried to change the bedroom around and make it comfortable for dad. As I cleaned I found a pair of white sneakers. They did not belong to me and they were definitely not my husbands. They were mom’s and she left them there only four days ago. What would we do with these sneakers? They were new and in good condition. She would never wear them to move about the house, walk down the front steps or reach our daughter’s graduation in only a few weeks. What would we do with her sneakers? Why was it so important?

“Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself separate from the linen.” (John 20: 6,7)

When Jesus died, he did not leave many clothes behind. The soldiers cast lots for his robe at the foot of his cross. There were those who mourned him. There were those who felt their hearts would beak. Yet, when it was finished there were no socks and shoes to bundle, nor sneakers to give away. Only grave clothes – what of the grave clothes? The exciting reality is the grave clothes were clean and folded and he did not need them, nor do we. Jesus conquered death!

The parting with a loved one’s clothes bring the realization that indeed they are gone. They will physically never again need anything. Yet we need. We need to know that life is not in vain. Reassurance is found in the fact that Christ’s grave clothes will never be needed, for he is robed in white. Brigadier now wears glistening clothes, pure and white. Mom may not be wearing sneakers, but…she is not in need. She’s in glory!