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It is the time of season once again for
shopping for gifts for others, and maybe even for a few of your own. As
I have watched people hurriedly going about their quest for a toy, or an
electronic something, or book or two, I have been drawn to the customers
who have spent their time shopping for clothes. Have you ever considered
how we materialistically blessed people shop for clothes?
First we have to know the basic kind
of clothes we want to acquire. Second we have to consider who the piece
of clothing is going to be for; age, habits. Third we have to consider
the price we are willing to pay for that article of clothing. Fourth we
have to make sure that the color, shape, and over all appearance will
appeal to the person for whom the gift is being purchased. Fifth we
might have to consider the very cloth itself; maybe the person is
allergic to that cloth. All these are very important considerations,
indeed.
However, the one thing that struck me
square between my spiritual eyes was none of these things. My eyes were
drawn to the somewhat innocuous labels on the clothing itself; small,
medium, large, x-large, xx-large, 2-xlarge. I saw it and felt it
inside; the spiritual corollary as it were. We pick the size of the
garment based on what FITS the person for whom it is being selected.
If the person is a three year old, we
give that one a SMALL; if the person is a teen, maybe a MEDIUM; if that
person is an large adult it might be a X-Large. We always pick the
garment to fit the person! All the other considerations will be quickly
discarded IF THE GARMENT WILL NOT FIT. It is equally true of shoes! We
want what fits. That is only logical after all. And that is the basis of
a profound spiritual truth which can be found in the following question:
What size of God are you wearing?
When you went to the spiritual
storehouse, what size God did you choose to try on? Your faith will
only chose the size of God you wear based on what you feel ‘comfortable’
wearing. You will only offer as a gift to another person the size of God
that you think they can wear too! We pre-qualify our faith purchase
based on the same criteria we pick our clothes and shoes. It is sad to
think, but it is true.
In our inner heart we say, ‘I am this
big or this small’ therefore God can only use me this way or that way.
We try to determine how much of God our neighbor can ‘handle’. Then one
day to our great surprise they get handed a mantle from God of his
Presence and Power and we go WOA! We didn’t think that one could wear
that garment!
God comes to us with a gift of a new
robe, or a new mantle, or a new pair of warriors shoes, and we do like
Peter did and say, ‘No God, I don’t know that will fit’. We are so used
to our creature comforts making our decisions for us. We even determine
how many of our sins can be covered by the garment being offered us;
‘oh, you don’t know what I have done! God can’t cover that!’
Here is the additional unfortunate
part: because we are so used to judging ‘what fits us’, we never stop to
realize that in the SPIRIT the same rules do not apply! If God is
offering you a garment of HIMSELF which he has picked out for you to
wear, HE NEVER EXPECTED YOU TO MEASURE YOURSELF FIRST BEFORE YOU PUT IT
ON. He KNOWS the size that will fit you. He knows how many more inches
you will grow in the upcoming years; he knows how much spiritual muscle
He is going to put on you in the next year; he knows that you are about
to outgrow your current rags which you have been all too protectively
wearing for the last few months. HE KNOWS!
GOD’S WAREHOUSES ARE FULL OF GARMENTS
OF ALL SIZES. And His hand is not short that it cannot dress you
PERFECTLY. He is the tailor of your faith. Let Him direct you to what
truly fits IN HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. Put on CHRIST! Put on God! And let
yourself grow.
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M. 12/25/2005
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