The Perfect Attire
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Ephesians 6:10-17
10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15. and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16. besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Spent this past weekend with an amazing group of almost 50 women on a Women’s Retreat sponsored by our church. I am still completely blown away by those amazing, incredible, beautiful, strong and very exhausted women! Throughout the weekend it was a continuing theme of “resting in the Lord.” Easy to do when you have no responsibilities or a million things to do to keep your life running, not to mention the lives of everyone else for whom you’re responsible. Let’s face it: unless we’re monks pursuing a life of quiet solitude, we’re going to feel burdened and tired sometimes.
When we’re at our weakest, our most vulnerable, our most tired, worn out, stretched too thin -- that’s when Satan steps in! He activates that inner voice that tells us we’re not doing enough, not being enough. It tells us we are in charge of everyone and everything in our lives. Our world revolves our daytimer, our alarm clock, the game schedules for each of the two sports that each of our three children participate in, and the piano lessons, and the scouts, and the meetings at church, and the PTA fundraisers . . . . I’m pretty “mom-focused” this morning! But what about the busy assistant who has to “care for” the CEO and make all the travel arrangements, and keep the boss’s calendar straight, and all million and one extra things you do to keep your boss’s life on track. What about the nurses and the accountants, and the one who does the laundry for the nursing home, and the checker at Wal-Mart.
We are all busy, stretched, pulled and pushed around by this world. And so often we feel isolated and alone in our tiredness-physically and spiritually. How in the world do we have time to fit God in to the mix? The only way I know of it to be intentional. Clothe ourselves in the “whole armor of God” every day before we leave the house, the motel room, the conference center. Stop, take a moment to put on God’s protection. Surround yourself with the his power. Feel his love sliding over you as you visualize donning the “breastplate of righteousness” and shodding your feet with the “equipment of the gospel of peace” and then, take up “the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”
You won’t ever have to worry if everything matches. There will be no question about if you’ll be too hot or chilly. It doesn’t matter if it’s going to rain or be sunny. God provides us the perfect attire for a life full of responsibilities and duties. Clothe yourself in Him and His word and His love today. And clothe your loved one in his armor too. They need all his protection and care--and he can protect and care for them even when you’re not with them!
My prayer today is that in the busyness of your day, you’ll remember that you are armed with God’s full protection and care. And clothed in the best designer attire ever designed--because they’re made especially for you!
Mary
