THE CLOTHES I WEAR

Who would think that God would be concerned with the clothes that I wear?  I drastically changed my style of clothes, under His guidance, before becoming a Christian in 1983.  Now here we are some 30 years later, and God is still very much concerned about what I wear.    

The things I’ve been wearing lately don’t quite fit anymore.  If you’ve ever had clothes that were too big, you know it’s a lot of work.  While trying to determine an outfit to wear, I heard God speak to my heart saying, take off the grave clothes.   I thought maybe I was wearing clothes that made it seem as if I had lost my zest for life or as if I was in mourning.  I recognized that some of the spiritual clothes I had been wearing weren’t carrying the right spirit. 

Mourning or heaviness is not limited to the loss of a loved one.  It could be the loss of a job, a marriage, or some loss that alters your future with a crippling capability.  I began to see the emotional garments I’d been wearing and could feel my shoulders begin to slump.  I felt the weight of the heaviness in my heart, the pain of loss, the sorrow I carried around my neck like a yolk on an oxen and the grief I bore on my chest like a breastplate, and the weight of loneliness I felt as a saddle on my back. 

The bible speaks of several different types of garments; one was the garment of a deceased person, another of a widow, and the garment of the priest.  Other garments were set aside by the owners for specific purpose.  Some garments were worn specifically while praising God; others were worn to seek the face of God. 

Scriptures began to come to my mind that dealt with these issues and I asked God’s help to take off my grave clothes and put on the garments that pleased Him.  I didn’t want to be like Lazarus who when Jesus called His name he jumped up from death, but was still bound and gagged. 

I saw that garments were already promised to be by the Lord.  He said if I mourned, he would give me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I would glorify the Lord (Isaiah 61:3).  I learned that if I rejoice in Him that my soul will be joyful in my God because He has covered me with the garments of salvation; covering me with the robe of righteousness and with ornaments like a bridegroom and bride adorn themselves with ornaments and jewels.

One of the benefits of the work of Calvary is to give victory to the believer over life’s situations.  We can overcome the obstacles that come to hinder our mental and physical progress in God.

If you maybe need to change into some lighter garments, God has them waiting for you.  Join me in trading my heavy and unfitting garments for the garment of praise. I promise no longer to be bound but free, to live the abundant life made available through Calvary.