Comfortable they are, as most of us are in our skins.

House shoes that we’ve caught ourselves slipping on quickly to get the newspaper or check the mail

Many times before we know it, we are running outside to quickly retrieve the wallet, the bag of groceries, or the pieces of wood from the porch.

Yes, they are a pair of old slippers. We’ve known them for years and they’ve waited for us wherever we lovingly placed them until we need them again.

We’ve grown so comfortable with them that even when the grands give you a new pair for Christmas or your birthday you proudly put them on, displaying your thanks, gratitude, hugs and smile; but as the evening turns into night you pick up the old pair of slippers and return them to their rightful place upon your feet.

Yes, life is much like the old pair of slippers — tragedy happens, change happens, life happens, and we find ourselves in a state of outrage, frustration, mourning, sadness, and unbelievably confused.

But what do we do? Time goes on … one month, six months, one year or two after …  and the buzz has died down. The news no longer references what has happened; it is buried somewhere in our mind.

The reality is that all it takes is another incident to trigger remembrances of a time past where we’ve heard it, seen it, but there has been no resolution and we wait … so that we might return to the comfort provided by the pair of old slippers still waiting for us.

Special thoughts —  There is so much tension in this world today, fueled by all types of emotions that consume many of us. I’ve noticed over the years how easily we act and react only; time goes by and finds us awaiting the next thing, and returning in the meanwhile to our place of comfort.

Our actions speak loudly and we must remember that everything God created he called “good,” so we have an opportunity to work together to get things right — instead of settling in our familiar old places of comfort.

Pastor Debra Ellison is the senior pastor at At The Cross Ministries and is the board chair of Project Cover where “Conversations from the Porch” encourages communication throughout the community.