Does This Scripture Make My Heart Look Big?
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
I remember vividly the day my daughter insisted she was big enough to try on clothes in the dressing room without me. Because I am a control-freak, purchasing sight-unseen was out of the question, but I reluctantly agreed on one condition: she must come out and model each outfit. So, I sat down on a nearby bench and waited to view the way-too-many outfits taken into the dressing room.
Never being one to sit idly, I cleaned out my purse, filed down my fingernails, chewed a piece of gum long enough to necessitate spitting it out, conversed at length with a chatty sales clerk, and even read up on the latest Hollywood gossip from a nearby magazine. After learning way more about Hollywood life than anyone should ever know, it dawned on me that my daughter had yet to model the first item. Becoming concerned, I got up and began my search, stooping down to look underneath the dressing room doors for my daughter's feet. My anxiety over being arrested as a "Peeping Tom" was totally trumped by my desire to find her.
Finally spying her feet under the last stall door as they danced around and around, I whispered loudly in my aggravated mom-tone, "Lora, what in the world are you doing in there?"
"Mom, you said I could try on all by myself," was her equally aggravated reply.
"Yes, I did," I snapped back, "but you were supposed to come out and show me each outfit and you haven't done that!"
"I will," she said. "But, I still have my first one on."
(Now if I were a cartoon character, you would have been able to read the thought bubbles over my head in all capital letters screaming, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IMPOSSIBLE!")
"Mom," she continued, "I gotta know what it looks like when I move around in it. Remember, I’ll be wearing it out and about in front of people!"
In my mind, I thought how much sense this made. But, in my weary soul I just wanted to head home before my own clothes went out of style.
"Ok, so hurry up, 'move around in it,' and come show me," I fumed as I returned to my bench for the remainder of the evening. (sigh) I had to admit she was right! Moving around and living your life in the outfit does make it look differently and feel differently than just a quick try-on.
As I sat, I began to take her little innocent thought and apply it to my spiritual life. What if, I, as a Christian, thought about scripture in the same way that Lora thought about her clothes. If I dressed each day in scripture and moved around out and about in my normal life wearing scripture, how would it look on me? If I wore scripture to work, to the grocery store, to the ball park, in maddening traffic jams, would I look different to the world?
The Apostle Paul refers to God's Word as clothing. In Ephesians, he speaks of "putting on" or "wearing" truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. All these disciplines are found in scripture, and we are told to WEAR THEM! God is such a fashionista that if you read Ephesians 6:10-20, you will see He even accessorizes our wardrobe with belts and hats! God provides us with a FULL ensemble that will not only protect us from the temptations and evils of this world, but will allow our lights to shine for HIM. Now, ladies, that's not any old sale-rack clothing. That's Super-Hero attire!
So, as we adorn our scripture, will people notice anything different about us? Will people respond more positively to us? Will we respond more positively to them? Will more smiles come our way? I think we will discover that wearing scripture does indeed make our hearts look big.
Blessings,
Rita
