What Shall I Wear?


 There she stood in front of a sea of dresses and shoes. "I have nothing to wear," the paradox tumbled from her lips. "Nothing to wear."

 As I hurried to the men's room at work, I was halted suddenly by the cleaning lady's cart in front of the bathroom door. Brakes on, reverse. I headed to the men's room at the opposite end of the building. And there it was, the other cleaning lady's cart; in front of the men's room door. And along with it, an attitude rising in my thoughts.

 "Really? They've got to time this better. I should communicate this to Facilities and let them know ..." Halted again, this time by the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation in Christ, clothe yourself with compassion, understanding, patience, and a better attitude.

 And so I did. I put on the newness. I changed my attitude and walked up the stairs to a third men's room. (Thankfully we only have two cleaning ladies. No cart.)

 It really seemed too easy. Put on the new self? Just like that? Like a coat or a shirt? Just slip it on? That's the analogy scripture uses. We are told to clothe ourselves; put on the new nature. Is it really that simple? Then why can it be so difficult to do it? Why do we, like the frustrated woman, stand in front of the closet and see nothing to wear.

 Well, that's the problem. We don't realize what we have. Gifts galore. A treasure inside of us. His likeness. His presence. The fact is, sometimes we forget that we have what it takes. We can clothe ourselves because our new nature is hanging right there, ready for us to put it on. But we forget that, or even more tragically, don't believe it.

 The Lord has given us everything we need to live godly lives; to live for him. All our needs? Supplied. All our temptations. Provided for. Our worries? Cared for. It's really that simple. You have what it takes to be kind, compassionate and patient. It's right there in front of you hanging in your closet.

 You do have something to wear.

(Photographs by H.G. Furcinitti)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Promises of God If God makes a promise, can you depend on it? Does He have the power to carry out what He says He will do? Is His word trustworthy? Those of us who know God will quickly answer yes. We know that God is not only powerful, He is also faithful. So what about that cold that we’ve been battling for the past two weeks, or what about the glaucoma, the cancer, the emotional issues, the mental hangups? The anxiety. Doesn’t God promise that He will heal all of our diseases? I know of Christians that have been healed, but I also know of those who have gone to their grave with their disease, and even at times, because of it. Why the disconnect? Has God forgotten some while healing others? Why does tragedy strike some who have faith in God while skirting around others? Before I answer that question (it’s really one question), let’s look at the Scripture to see what it has to say about the promises of God. Here are three things we can say about His promises - The promises of God
Read more
Image
Sometimes dreams must die. Dreams never realized can be heartbreaking, but there's nothing that leads to that craggy road called discouragement more directly than dreams realized and then lost. The hope of marriage broken on the rocks of disappointment and conflict. Booming investments in the market tail spinning into oblivion on the comment of a high political official. God's promises realized seemingly put to bed for good.  Seemingly.  I want to give you hope. She is just sleeping. The young vibrant female we call hope is not dead. She is just sleeping. But she needed to lay her head down into a lifeless slumber, lest, we come to trust in her instead of Someone greater. There's a story of a rich woman, a childless woman. Her lifelong and dormant dream was to give birth to a child. It was a hope for her, a dream; a good dream. Many of us are like her. We hope, but never get our hopes too high, lest they be disappointed; lest we be let down into the overwhelming mir
Read more
In the Hands of a Hungry Pilgrim Its cover is worn with bent edges Its pages yellowed with passing time It smells of age and cellar Its years beyond mine In it though a treasure resides Words of hope and strength and life From page to page and word to word Come truths to help and remind Its resting place seemed its forever home Until seeking eyes upon it fell And the thirsty heart felt strength arise Its page's words a restoring supply Discarded not, nor left behind From elder hearts come treasures prized Not set aside but dearly held In the hands of a hungry pilgrim We carry in us, in these earthen vessels, treasure of great worth and value, deposited by the Lord. Like an old book, some of us are wearing with the years and feeling the cricks and cracks of an aging body. But still, the treasure remains.  We may feel, like an old book, threadbare and tattered, but that does not mean we are not useful in the Master's hands. Our pages may be yellowed and st
Read more