Tight Pants and Faith That Busts at the Seams
God used my tight pants as a metaphor to point me back to Jesus!
If you've been in my life for any significant amount of time, you know I've been shopping for clothes at Goodwill since I could drive. The only thing that's changed since my high school days is that I have to spend my own money now...I don't really recommend it! *winks*
Unfortunately, my luck at Goodwill only goes so far when it comes to pants.
Despite contrary belief, although I'd MUCH rather be in shorts and a t-shirt, I *do* wear pants…sometimes! But...in order to WEAR pants, I first have to HAVE pants!
*cue Old Navy*
An angel sent from the Lord above gave me a gift card to Old Navy, so I signed up for their emails and kept an eye out for pant sales. Gift card or not, I will absolutely make sure I get the best bang for my buck.
I bought some jeans, and then I also found some joggers...and they're REALLY CUTE joggers if I do say so myself. I'm confident I'm mistaken for a fashion runway model when I wear them.
That is…UNTIL I GO TO SIT DOWN OR BEND OVER! They have ZERO STRETCH in them and nearly bust at the seams if I make any sudden movements.
I high-water like there's no tomorrow & feel like I'm "with child" every time I go to sit down.
In short, these pants are all talk & no action!
As I waddled around my room, I found myself thinking about how these pants are a lot like our faith.
At first glance, these pants APPEAR to be getting the job done. They seem to fit when I walk, but my thighs will tell you a very different story as soon as I sit down. That is...IF they live to tell the tale!
I mean it. Don't look under the table...or ELSE!
In the same way, at first glance, our faith can APPEAR to be the real deal when we're out in public. It seems to be "fitting" to the naked eye...but when we get behind closed doors or if/when things don't go our way, our faith often busts at the seams because it was never a true representation of our walk with Jesus.
Here's the thing...we’re called to walk the walk, not just talk the talk (Proverbs 14:23). I *love* what Paul says in Romans 7:15-20:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Paul doesn’t pretend to have it all together when he’s out in public. He’s open & honest about his continuous fight against sin & his inability to do the good that he desires. Like me, Paul falls short of the glory of God…all the time! And yet, by admitting his sins & shortcomings, I *think* he is bringing delight to God!
Paul isn’t putting on a show or acting as if he’s better off than he actually is to save face.
Instead, he’s reminding himself of his desperate need for a Savior…and he’s reminding us, too!
I really want my walk with Jesus to fit...not just when I'm out & about around town, but when I’m at home alone in my apartment, too.
I want the words I speak & the life I live to be a true representation of my walk with Jesus whether I am “sitting down” or “standing up”!
Today, I am pondering what it looks like to be truly authentic…and asking God to help me see all the ways I am denying what is most true about where I am so God can meet me there.