He clothes me.

-
Sometimes I tell Aaron I wish I was an animal or bug instead of a human because then I wouldn't have to plan complex things, resolve conflict, or worry about a schedule. Depending on the animal, I could do things like hop from tree to tree, swim in cool waters all day long, lounge around in the shade, or soar through the clouds. (side note: I realize animals actually do resolve conflict and plan complex things it just seems a bit different than humans...). The one time I expressed this desire to Aaron, I think I used the example animal of a cow simply because we were driving by a field of cows. He informed me this is not that normal- most people do not desire to be cows- so I have made a habit of not generally bringing this thought up in conversation.

I was in a bit of a funk today. A silly funk. One of those no-good-reason funks. I was standing under the shade of our dogwood tree watching our dogs play and looked up to find this hidden little creature keeping me company. Matthew 6 came to mind: "Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor or spin thread... If that's how God clothes the grass of the field that is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't he do much more for you- you of little faith?"



That's just it. Nature seems to have this order, this beauty, this mystery, this consistency that seems unattainable when in fact it is not. God promises to clothe us with much more than what we deem "basic necessities."

God's first act of grace in the world was clothing Adam and Eve. After they had sinned, they realized they were naked and they were ashamed. They hid. God saw them and clothed them. A simple act, yet a great foreshadowing of Christ coming to clothe us in righteousness. We cannot sew ourselves an acceptable garment. We need His grace and mercy to cover us wholly.

"I will rejoice in the Lord; my soul will exalt in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness." -Isaiah 61:10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On choosing to be fearless and strong

-
Image
That night I hardly slept. I tossed and turned and dozed and dreamt. Most of my dreams consisted of being late or forgetting something. I had the same kind of jitters I have before the very first day of school every year. Only this time- it was before my very first triathlon. I had prepared as much as possible. I printed the course maps and drove them in advance. I bought some needed tri gear. I watched youtube videos galore about transitions and swimming techniques. I made this fancy training plan with pretty fonts and didn't stick to it a single day. But six out of seven days of the week this summer, you would find me running, biking, or swimming- simply not on the day it was scheduled though. There's something humorous about this that would make you tilt your head in a "huh... really?" kind of way if you've known me for over ten years. After posting the I-crossed-the-finish-line pictures on social media, one of my dear high school friends captured it w
Read more

"You make my dreams come true"

-
Did you sing that line in your head when you read the blog title? That's what I was singing... Anyhow, I am so thankful for our community. I am really experiencing true community at DCF the way I have never experienced before. Some of these thoughts have come about because I am excited to be a prayer partner and a part of the food team for the new film that our pastor has written and is directing. Filming starts tomorrow! I was telling Aaron how neat it is that our church body has been so supportive in helping him raise money, volunteering their time, and giving him time away from speaking for the next few Sundays so he can focus on the film. I said, "Wow, filiming starts tomorrow. It's like a dream come true," (at least, I am assuming so...)  He said, "Yea, they [dcf] really rally around people dreams. Like our house and helping out with that." It sounds cheesy at first to "rally around people's dreams", but on the other hand that is communi
Read more

On sabbathing and first Fridays

-
The sun is streaming in the windows. The dogs are playing next to me. I am drinking a delicious strawberry ale. I've got my new trendy glasses on. It is Friday afternoon of my first week of school and I, by miracle of miracles, have energy to spare. And yet, it is both a miracle and the product of a string of conscious decisions. We have grandly titled this year our "Year of Sabbath." We have purposely said no to things, stepped down from things, and thankfully finished some things- like being Teacher of the Year and Aaron's grad school. Some weights feel lifted. So I went to work each day and  I came home each day and I loved loved each day. Wednesday, we filled our house with about 22 people and we ate around a table, laughed, shared stories, and prayed to our good, good Father. Thursday, a dear friend who has moved away came over for dessert and we shared about life. We say "yes" to people, to rest, to a peace filled home, to abundant room for time
Read more