A Reflection on Putting on the Whole Armor of God
by LewisWhen we are small we have little, if any, say on what we wear. As we grow we begin to make our own choices, and sometimes we choose poorly. Or at least it seems we do, based on what we hear from our parents.
“It’s raining, put on your boots.”
“It’s cold, put on your coat.”
“Put on a clean shirt before you go out.”
“Young lady, you are not going out looking like that!”
In every one of those cases (as I imagine them) the parent is trying to protect the child. Clothes can offer protection from inclement weather, protection from criticism, and they can even offer protection from unwanted sexual advances.
The problem is, we don’t always want the protection. Little boys run out into the rain without their boots because it’s more fun to splash in the puddles barefoot. And sometimes young women, who may not understand what they are inviting, dress to be noticed and desired.
I wonder if we fail to “put on the whole armor of God” for similar reasons. We don’t think we’ll catch a cold for a lack of boots or find ourselves in a dangerous situation because we dressed seductively, so we go for the short term pleasure at the risk of longer term pain. And we don’t think Satan will really bother us much if we sometimes leave the belt of truth at home, or “forget” to lug along that heavy shield of faith. Sometimes we don’t even want to carry the sword, which is the word of God. After all, we rarely use it even when we do have it with us.
Perhaps we need God standing at the door, reminding us to dress well, and not letting us go out until we are properly attired.
Polishing my armor….
May 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Perhaps we need God? I need God.
I could also use one of those “mirrors” where I could see “face to face” as well.
I guess I just need to grow up.
May 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Sometimes we forget (or deliberately ignore) that God has our very best interests at heart when he issues those reminders. And we get exasperated with his appeals, just as our kids get frustrated with ours.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
The good news is — and this is a mystery — even when I “leave home without it” the armor of God is still with me, and I can put it on wherever I am. Our children, less fortunately, cannot suddenly make a raincoat appear.
The other good news is that I’m less exasperated with God these days, because I know he loves me and I know he’s right and I know it is all for my good. I still fail from time to time, but I’ve at least stopped using one of those “Why didn’t you tell me?” lines to blame God for my failure to listen.
Next step: listening more often.