September 12 - “What Should I Wear?”

Have you ever had a thought - not some profound, philosophical, change-the-world kind of thought - but just one of those sometimes-fleeting, why-did-I-think-that, hmmm kind of thoughts? I had one today.

I didn't tell anyone but Chris about it.  I guess I was too embarrassed.  It seemed to me that I was the only one of our little rag-tag family of refugees who had as yet given any thought to this outrageously insignificant speck of minutia.  Well, here it is.  I decided I would try to repair the kitchen faucet.  It was something I had done before, so I knew it wouldn't be that hard.  And besides, if I got it to work, I'd be the hero!

So, with that inspiring motivation in my head, I went into the bedroom to change clothes.  That's when it hit me.  As I thumbed through my cache of seven t-shirts and 4 pairs of shorts.  I realized that I really didn't want to mess up any of them.  I wouldn't have packed them if they didn't have some kind of personal significance.  Two of them were Astros shirts.  I'm sure not going to ruin them!  Two were youth camp shirts.  Hey!  That's memories.  This had become one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made.  Which of the last seven t-shirts I owned did I care the least about?  What could I wear to help around the house here in Mansfield?  What could I wear when we returned home and faced the daunting task of tearing out and cleaning up our house, and Nathan's, and our neighbor's?  "Hey, God!  What shirt should I wear?"

Okay, I already know there are better ways to spend my precious worry time.  I knew when I screamed in my spirit that God was probably chuckling at my latest crisis.  He's the one, after all, who said in Matthew 6:28, "Why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ... But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." 

So guess what happened?  A family in the local church up here cleaned out their closet and brought us a garbage bag full of clothes.   When we opened it, we found t-shirts and bleu jeans and shorts.  They were all guy's clothes, all basically the same size.  And the only one in the house that wore that size was ... well, it was the only one in the house who had questioned God about clothes.  Yep.  That would be me.

Father, thank you for paying attention even to our random, crazy, who-cares, who-woulda-thought, kind of thoughts.  Forgive me for trying to sneak my doubt past you in a dirty t-shirt.  I do believe.  I do trust you.  Help me overcome my unbelief.  Amen.