Jean-e-ology
When my oldest son, Luke, was in 7th
grade, he was as hungry as a horse and growing like a weed. Because of this adolescent growth spurt, he
was going through clothes faster than I could I could buy them. One day his jeans would fit, and the next day they would be too short! To alleviate
this high-water pants problem, I was constantly picking up second-hand or
sale-rack jeans and putting them on the stairway for him to grab as he went
down to his room in the basement. I
would often just lay them there without informing him and he would just carry them
to his closet and put them away.
One day as Luke came up the stairs to
eat his breakfast before school, I noticed that his jeans were long enough, but
they looked puffy all around his hips and front. I asked him where he had gotten the
unfamiliar trousers; he said he took them off of the top step a few days ago
when he had gone to bed. Turning him around,
I looked at the label on the pocket and saw a swan insignia with the name “Gloria
Vanderbilt” written below it. I burst
out laughing, finally figuring out where the ill-fitting pants had come from: his
grandmother! Luke was wearing his
grandma’s hand-me-down jeans! My mom had
given them to me, thinking that I could wear them since she was getting rid of
them. However, since they didn’t really
fit me, I put them on the stairway, intending to carry them to the storage room
where I kept our items to be thrifted. Luke has just assumed that these “new” jeans
were for him and dutifully put them on. Maybe
he was too tired to notice the puffiness.
Or maybe he thought “Gloria Vanderbilt” designed men’s clothing. Or maybe he was just being obedient because
he thought I wanted him to wear them. Regardless
of the reason, he looked HILARIOUS, but he felt humiliated because he was
wearing HIS GRANDMOTHER’S JEANS! Scowling, he ran downstairs as fast as he
could and came up wearing some too-short boys’ jeans. Yes, they were a little too small, but
at least they weren’t his grandma’s!
Why do I tell you that funny story?
Because sometimes we, as Christ-followers, also put on the wrong clothing. Colossians 3:12-14 says,
“Therefore, as
God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another
if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on
love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
If we are not careful, instead of compassion, we
put on indifference; instead of kindness, condemnation. We wear pride rather than humility, antagonism
rather than gentleness, irritation rather than patience. We berate rather than bear with; We find
fault when we should forgive. We layer
on entitlement and envy and judgement where we should be wearing love. Why do we do this? Because we adopt the style of the world we
inhabit. If we yearn to look like people
of the world, instead of God’s chosen ones, no changing room is required. Those
clothes will just naturally become part of our wardrobe. But, if we long to be clothed in Christ, and we
claim to be wearing his “Robe of Righteousness,” we will be able to choose what
we are to “put on” and what we should “take off:”
"You were taught, with regard to your former way
of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its
deceitful desires; to be made new in
the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”( Ephesians 4:22-24)
Next time you are tempted to just “grab something”
and throw it on, carefully consider if “what you wear” tells the true story of
Whose you are. If you are a child of the
King, your “jean-e-ology” should be obvious.
Over everything, put on love because love is always in style…for
grandmothers AND middle school boys!
“Your beauty
should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the
wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your
inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of
great worth in God’s sight.”
1 Peter 3:3-4
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