Los Jordan

Every time I buy a pair of shoes
There's a memory that flies in my mind
That fifth grade year in school
My canvas sneakers couldn't handle the wear and tear

The aftermath was a huge hole in the sole
The sole that my right foot hid
Because even with the hole, I wore them
It wasn't because I wanted to

It was the only pair of shoes I had
One day in class, I slipped up
I raised my foot, the teacher saw and immediately
She yelled in front of my classmates

Hey Willy, you have a hole in your shoe
I acted surprised
Trying to disguise the tremendous embarrassment of what happened
My classmates laughed, it wasn't funny
I laughed too, but inside I was stunned

Tomorrow everything will change, they will see me shine
With the sneakers I will wear, they will see me fly
That's what I believed until I discovered
That I don't shine because of the 23 but because of the path my feet take

My dream was to have some Nikes
The Jordans that say 'flight' on the box
New or used, from the flea market but Nike
But the price was too much
For my dad's budget

I built a shoe shine kit and went to shine shoes
Trying to gather money to wear
The sneakers of the man who flew
I wouldn't be ashamed anymore, everyone would envy me

In three weeks, I was reaching my goal
Happy, my objective was almost achieved
But one of my sisters got sick
And my parents didn't have money for the prescription

How could I refuse a request from a man
Who never allowed us to go hungry
Although it frustrated me, I decided to help at home
And leave that dream hanging by a thread

Tomorrow everything will change, they will see me shine
With the sneakers I will wear, they will see me fly
That's what I believed until I discovered
That I don't shine because of the 23 but because of the path my feet take

27 years later
I decided to buy for the first time
That pair of shoes I once dreamed of
Well, actually I bought three
And my wife has given me like ten

You can call it vanity or pride
Because you don't see the heart or where I hold it
From someone who has allowed me to give
Five times the amount of sneakers I have
All glory to God because thanks to Him
I have achieved more than I set out to
It was because my steps followed His
It was never about the sneakers I wore

What's the point of having many sneakers
With jerseys and shirts that match
If you don't have identity, you will hide
Behind those brands that don't define you
You are more than what you wear, you don't need to pretend
Your purpose is in Christ, not in the stores
You will make the clothes shine, that's a fact
If you choose the narrow path from the catwalk

Tomorrow everything will change, they will see me shine
With the sneakers I will wear, they will see me fly
That's what I believed until I discovered
That I don't shine because of the 23 but because of the path my feet take