The Wait

Every woman knows, with fall in the air, wardrobe changes are inevitable. I love the colors and the textures of nubby sweaters (and the fact that many imperfections are hidden is just icing on the cake!!) Now, I am not really a stylish person but I love the sweaters this year…long…some below the knees. Yay!! More coverage! I have seen these on others and thought if I ever found one, I would get it.

Labor Day weekend 2010! While visiting my son and his wife in Texas, my daughter- in-law and I went shopping for her birthday. As we walked into the Dress Barn, I saw “it!” A bright light seemingly came down and illuminated the sweater of my dreams. It was beautiful…a mixture of brown and black with ruffles all the way to the knees. The store had very few customers so I decided to “think’ about it while my daughter-in-law tried on her choices. After about 20 minutes we headed to the checkout counter where “the sweater” had been displayed---but where was it? The mannequin once clad in splendor was strangely bare in only a tank top. I felt panic rising as I asked the sales associate about it to which she replied, pointing, “That lady over there got it to try on!” What??? Where had she come from and why would she want MY sweater? I became a crazy woman!! I paced, telling myself that she hadn’t bought it yet…there was hope…and so I waited…and waited…was she trying on the whole store??? She was too short for the sweater anyway!! Couldn’t she see that? Finally she emerged from the dressing room and returned “my” sweater to the sales associate who quickly brought it to this crazy, pacing woman. I had not even tried the sweater on but I had no choice but to purchase it! I left the store tightly clutching this find! My daughter-in-law just shook her head! (She does that a lot when I am around!)

Yes, sometimes we do really crazy things for even crazier reasons. Usually, I don’t try to make a spectacle of myself, really I don’t. I want to be sophisticated and calm but when I am passionate about things, I forget all of that. For years I found myself being less than passionate about what Christ had done for me. I had always been a good kid and so Christianity was just status quo attached to redemption. I lived like that for so many years…I was in church every time the doors were opened but mostly it was because I had to go. I would sit there quietly covering up those “pesky” sins not wanting anyone to know, all the while searching for something “more” but didn’t know what “it” was until I had what I call an Isaiah 6 Experience when I realized who I was compared to a Holy God. It was as if a shining light came down illuminating my unworthiness. I knew I had been found out! At that moment I knew that was what I had been looking for! I wanted more than anything for this Holy God to love me to which He reminded me that He did and that I no longer had to hide those imperfections…He knew about them and His Son’s blood had taken them away. When I came up from this experience, I was different. Truth changes us! I became crazy about Him!! My worship changed…I was passionate about Him and I didn’t care who knew it!

I came upon a scripture in 2 Corinthians 5: 13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. Paul got it!! David got it, too, when he entered Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant and danced! God had shown them “more!” God had shown me “more!” He wants to show the world His “more!” He wants to cloth us in His splendor…but we have to rid ourselves of all preconceived ideas of who we are and what we want? Are we willing to be a little “crazy” for Him? When we are people will notice…some might think we are crazy but we will be grasping onto the most important find of our lives as we walk! Each time I wear my sweater, I think I will remember this!