Jesus’ Jacket

Josh is a new 10 year old friend of mine—sweet and cuddly and loveable...and sometimes angry. Josh and his family live in our basement apartment and occasionally this anger gets Josh into trouble…because sometimes he doesn’t control it…but this week was a different story.  Let me tell it to you:

The other day as I was preparing to pick up Cole from basketball practice, Josh asked if he could ride along.  I said he could, but that he would need to wear a jacket since it was chilly outside. Being close to the mud room, we grabbed the first available coat—one with a Haverkamp Properties insignia embroidered on the front.  Little did I know, but Josh really liked wearing the coat…so much so that he asked if he could wear it to school the next day.  I said yes, and so he did. But before he did, his mom showed him the name on the jacket and told him not to disgrace it.

Fast forward to afternoon.  Josh arrived home from school and immediately came upstairs for his daily hug and chat.  He said excitedly, “Hey, Tori, guess what happened today?”  I told him to tell me, and this is what he said, “Today at school, some kid got in a fight with another kid and was kicking him and hitting him and then he started in on me, and I just wanted to fight him because I was so mad, but then I remembered--I was wearin’ the jacket.  So I walked away.”  I praised Josh for being such a wise boy and for doing the right thing. 

And then I got to thinking.  I need to constantly remember Whose jacket I am wearing. 

As a child of the King, God has “clothed me with garments of salvation  and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).  He has come to give me “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).

And I am told to “clothe myself with the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14) and to “Clothe [myself] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12).  Not only that, but I am instructed to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, [I] may be able to stand [my] ground, and after [I] have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)

As an image bearer of the Lord, I have a great responsibility to show Jesus to the world.  When I lose control, it’s the Lord’s reputation that suffers.  When I serve myself, I forfeit His glory.  As Christ’s ambassador, then, I need to remember…I’m wearin’ the jacket.

And I don’t want to stain it.

 

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 22:1