What Not to Wear
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
Psalm 34:5
Everywhere we look today, the world has answers for what to wear and what not to wear. But the Bible also has guidelines for our attire. God longs to clothe us in righteousness but some of us are still running around in yesterday's garments. Let me let you in on a little secret: Shame went out with shoulder pads. It's time to update our wardrobe!
My son Garrett has never been able to hide even the smallest bit of shame. When he was in elementary school, I used to pick him up every day. As soon as his behind hit my station wagon's upholstery, he would give me a report about his behavior. Not that I needed a recap-his demeanor broadcasted it for him. Occasionally, his quivering voice would announce, "Mom, I got in trouble for talking today. Will you forgive me?"
"Of course I will, Honey."
After a sigh of relief, Garrett's face brightened. He had no reservoir for shame. He couldn't wait to release the poison.
When he made it into middle school, not much changed. He came home from school the other day with his head hung low. "Mom," he muttered. "I'm really sorry. I promise I'll do better next time."
"What's the matter, Honey?"
Garrett dumped the contents of his pocket onto the kitchen counter. Never mind that he has a back pack and an agenda that he brings home every day-he files homework and teacher correspondence in his left pocket, all neatly folded into a thousand little squares.
Not counting 6th century Buddhist monks who originated origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, I've never seen anyone manipulate paper with more precision. Yet, for some reason, my dexterous guitar-strumming, saxophone-playing musician is completely inept at folding laundry. Go figure.
Pointing to one of the squares, he mumbled, "I got a D on my Math test."
"Ah, that's too bad," I replied. "How much did you study?"
"Our teacher gave us time in class to study."
"No, I meant, how much did you study at home?"
"Study at home?" he said with the same kind of mystified look that my husband has when he reads a recipe book. "Mrs. Brown didn't tell us we had to bring our book home."
More and more Garrett is showing the true makings of a prophet. They see no gray. Everything is black or white. No in-between.
"Ok, Garrett!" I announced sternly. "From now on, even if your teacher doesn't tell you to bring your book home, I am telling you to bring your book home!"
Though Garrett may struggle with Math, in one area, he excels. I admire his earnest desire to amputate the confining armor of shame. All it takes is a plea for forgiveness.
As easy as that sounds, the enemy of our soul often convinces us otherwise. He doesn't want us to be free. He knows that our nakedness begs to be covered but his ploy is for us to merely mask our imperfections. Our own attempts to conceal our failures are futile, however. Just ask Adam and Eve.
Back in the garden days there wasn't much to choose from but Adam and Eve still managed to come up with a disguise. After they disobeyed God, they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame. Then they ran and hid. Sound familiar?
But God saw that their efforts were inadequate so He exchanged Adam and Eve's fig leaves for animal skins. Even then, only a sacrifice of blood was able to cover sin.
Today, fig leaf ensembles have evolved a bit. Our imperfections are tucked away under our accomplishments, acquisitions, appearances and addictions. Try as we may, our efforts to camouflage shame can no more conceal our nakedness than a blanket can hide a tornado.
But the good news is that God still desires to clothe us in glory. We don't have to waste time with our vain attempts to conceal every blemish. Jesus came to sever our shame and give us His righteousness in exchange. Psalm 34:5 promises that those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame.
So let's trade our outdated fig leaves in for our Father's perfectly designed wardrobe. His righteousness eliminates every flaw and His glory never fades. They are timeless fashions that never go out of style, plus they make us radiate. Glory and righteousness-definitely what to wear!
Prayer: Father, help me to realize when I am walking in shame and running from your forgiveness. Thank you that you desire to clothe me in garments of righteousness so that I may reflect your glory.
