Worldly garments look completely different than spiritual garments. Clothing ourselves in sin hinders our ability to adorn salvation daily.
Clothes. Such a necessity. But why, oh why, do they have to produce laundry? I absolutely loathe laundry. It is one of those chores that we will never see come to completion. Unless you’re a family of nudists (not judging, but kind of). I really have tried the one “load of laundry a day” tip. Y’all, this is not realistic.
My boys are so very blessed with loads of clothes (pun intended). They have clothes for each season. Clothes for school, for playing, for sleeping. Church clothes, Christmas clothes, sports clothes. Seriously, I’m really contemplating becoming a minimalist. But, no matter how many clothes they have, my boys still have their favorites. The ones they will wear whenever they are clean (sometimes even dirty). Special clothes that wear out, tear, have stains. Even still, these items are chosen over shiny new ones.
Have I hit the point yet? This is moving toward matters of the heart…
Adorn: Dirty Clothes
We do this, don’t we? We all have “items” we put on day in and day out. For me, I’m constantly trying to change out of perfectionism, negativity, and insecurity. The list goes on but these are my comfortable clothes. These are the 8-year-old yoga pants I do chores in because they have bleach stains all over. They fit perfectly, and I NEED something to clean in, right?!
Because I’m a mere mortal, it is not in my nature to habitually clothe myself with supernatural adornments. It does feel good to put on freshly laundered clothes. But, why is this such a difficult process in our own spirits? When sin creeps in and goes unaddressed, we become more and more comfortable wearing it. The elastic starts breaking in, so to speak (I think I’ve pushed this analogy as far as I should).
Adorn: Daily Clothes
Sneaky sin is not what our Heavenly Father wishes for us. He has created the most beautiful spiritual ornaments. However, spiritual clothes are more difficult for us “put on”. In the midst of anger, how easy is it to be compassionate? When depression overwhelms, it’s difficult to be joyful. Anxiety makes us feel a need to act quickly, instead of being patient and trusting in the Lord.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12, NIV
It takes daily submission and acceptance of this truth; we are His chosen. In every worldly situation and circumstance, we are to stand out. We are set apart and should not be wearing the same yoga pants as everyone else. These are not to be worn for our own glory, but for everyone to witness God’s glory. For all to see the precious gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.
Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
1 Cronicles 16:23, NIV
Adorn: Salvation Clothes
Most of us can remember the moment we accepted Jesus as our savior. It took me longer to understand what truly happens when we leave our sinful nature behind and accept the forgiveness and mercy of God. When we adorn our clothes of salvation, we are adorning ourselves in all that God has offered. Rest, protection, righteousness, joy, forgiveness, gratefulness, comfort, love.
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10, NIV
In our salvation, it takes more than just washing our dirty clothes, we must learn to completely abandon them. Every. Single. Day. Salvation is the only piece of clothing I want or need to put on. For in salvation all else rests. It is humbling to know I can approach the throne of God in my ugly yoga pants, because He prepared a way for me to ditch them. In Him, I am made new. My old clothes don’t fit anymore.
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When sin creeps in and goes unaddressed, we become more and more comfortable wearing it. Click To Tweet
I was tired, worn out, and dirty, but God…
This is the newest item in the Oh Lord Help Us Shop. It serves as a reminder that we are no longer who we were. The story has changed.
“Because I’m a mere mortal, it is not in my nature to habitually clothe myself with supernatural adornments.” Yes!. I love this visualization. I often find myself defaulting back to my “comfy clothes” in the midst of trials. So good.
Me too, Jordan! <3 I definitely need this reminder, daily! Especially in trials! Thank you for reading!
Sin so easily creeps in and without realizing it, we wear it daily. I love this analogy you make. Sin becomes like well-worn jeans – comfortable. But we aren’t meant to be merely comfortable but set apart. Lord, help me to clothe myself daily with You!
Amen, Katie! I love how you point out we are to be set apart. This was one of my favorite points when writing…”we aren’t supposed to wear the same yoga pants as everyone else” is funny but it’s so true! We are to stand out in every situation as God’s disciples! <3
I love the phrase, “but God” those two words hold so much value. So much weight.
Reading your post reminded me of the armor of God. We just finished studying it with our youth group. It’s something we encouraged them to put on daily, like clothes.
Thank you, Heather! This is our new mug for the shop! Rachael loved this phrase so much, she built a ministry around it and I’m so blessed to be a part of it!
I definitely read Ephesians 6:10-18 while writing this post. It is a great passage for young people to memorize and hide away. They have a lot to combat on a daily basis! Taking up their (our) armor every single day, helps fight off the world. <3
This is a great analogy. Putting on clothes in the morning is a choice, in the same way we have to keep being intentional about clothing ourselves in righteousness and not sin.
Absolutely, Bella! Thank you so much for reading! <3
“When sin creeps in and goes unaddressed, we become more and more comfortable wearing it.” This is so true! And not only do we become more comfortable wearing it, for a while our salvation clothes can feel uncomfortable if we don’t address the sin. A bit like allowing bad food choices to creep in and resorting to stretchy pants. Jeans and dress pants start to feel uncomfortable until the food situation is addressed! (Pretty sure I’ve experienced both situations!)
Me too, Melissa. I hate to admit it but I have. Especially, recently. Not only do we feel uncomfortable in those clothes, we start to feel uncomfortable when we look in the mirror. The same is true when we finally start seeing our sin for what it is. <3
It is a great analogy. And a painful one. To think we would choose to adorn ourselves with sinful behavior cuts to the heart.
You’re right, Jennifer! It really does cut us deeply. It also cuts our Savior when we adorn those ugly robes!
I was just doing laundry and commented to my daughter that nudists have it right. No clothes, no laundry!
Thank you for the reminder to daily ask God to remove the filthy and replace it with His good things.
I know! 🙂 They definitely don’t have as much laundry! Thank you for reading, Julie! I’m so glad you were encouraged!
This is so true about sin. And just like laundry, it can real pile up if it goes unaddressed. I laughed though at your reaction to one load a day. With six kids it never worked for me either. More like three loads a day.
I don’t have that many kiddos but it’s definitely unrealistic! “They” say you should do one load of laundry a day to completion. Washed, folded, put away. I get about 50% of what “they” say done. Honest moment! Another great way to arc sin and laundry. It does pile up…and no-one likes seeing loads of clothes all over the floor! <3 Thanks for reading Alice!
Sin. Sin. Sin. Boy, can it creep up on us and before we know it we are comfortable in it. Learning how to clothe ourselves with Godly garments regardless of the situation/ circumstance is what makes a world of difference. Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely, Christina! It’s about making a daily habit of putting on our salvation clothes! <3
You totally reminded me that I still need to put my clothes in the dryer lol! Thank you! But in all seriousness, it is so difficult to adorn ourselves in God’s clothing. I think, for some of us, we feel out-of-sorts wearing such holy and righteous and pure clothing that we are willing to be stuck in the same old shabby garments we’ve worn for years. It’s a process of letting go, but God helps us to release our hold on the things that make us feel secure and comfortable, only to adorn things that truly show off the creations He’s made us out to be! Great post:)
🙂 I need to do that too! Thank you for reading and I’m so glad you were encouraged! You’re right! It can be so uncomfortable to wear such beauty when we are so wretched at times. God invites us to wear them all the same, to show testament to His goodness and glory! <3