Stripping Down

She peers into her closet, searching. There’s a cute sweater – just what she thinks she needs. After all, hadn’t the words just slipped through her lips as she whispered to her Jesus, “I want to be more like You. I need to be kind, to be compassionate, to show love.”

That pretty red sweater with the “kind” label should do the trick.

It wouldn’t button. It was the right size but it wouldn’t button.

It didn’t fit around her. She really wanted to wear that sweater, to show kindness, but it just didn’t work.

That’s what we do.

We try to look like Him, we want to look like Him. We attempt to put Him on

but we still stink.

We really stink.

Because we didn’t take off the old clothes underneath. And they stink.

Colossians 3 talks about taking off the old clothes. Clothes with ugly labels. Labels that read anger, impurity, envy, slander, and lying.

Some of us look like Michelin men walking out our front doors because we don’t take off the old stinky clothes. Then we try to dress up with “God clothes” on top of all the ugly.

That’s why it says we are to put those things to death. Separate ourselves from them. Take them off and burn them in the burn pile.

THEN.

Then we put on the sweaters, the pants, the pretty shoes and the adorable hats.

We clothe ourselves with Christ. We forgive as He has forgiven us. Then ABOVE ALL, we put on LOVE.

We put on love because it pulls all things together in harmony.

Then comes the peace. Oh, that peace we long for.

Take off. Put on. Be forgiven. Forgive. Be loved. Love.

And then be thankful.

Swimming in Forgetfulness Sea

I woke up about 3:00am the other night and, for the life of me, couldn't go back to sleep. I prayed for everyone I knew, their puppies and goldfish, and before I realized what was happening, I was "remembering". Remembering times of complete disobedience to the Lord.

Don't know how I got there. To that pit of unworthiness. Or should I say, to the pit of feeling the unworthiness. As tears rolled to my pillow, I couldn't imagine why He chose me. Why He keeps choosing me. I'm sure there are a lot of purer vessels out there. Ones who never really messed up much.

There is a scripture in Micah 7 that says "He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." It never calls it the sea of forgetfulness, although I've heard it called that many times, but in Isaiah 43 the word says, "I, even, I, am the One Who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."

I like to think of it as the sea of forgetfulness.

Not sure why I decided to take a dip that night, swimming where I don't have to swim. He remembers those things no more - why do I go diving to the point of feeling so unworthy for use?

Thank You, Jesus, for choosing to use someone even like me. A girl who deserves nothing of Your grace and mercy. I like to call myself a girl. Okay, that was random. You know how my brain works. I'm so thankful You know me. You know me, and yet, still choose to use me. I'm so amazed by You.