[the comfortable garment]

at one point, i thought i knew the direction i was heading in, now i feel as though i'm lying on my back on a merry-go-round spinning in circles.

perhaps the reason we have a Comforter is because God is so insistent that life be so uncomfortable. not that He revels in our discomfort,but that He is glorified when we find our comfort in Him alone.

why do bad things happen to good people? the traditional answer is "only God knows" or "all things work together for good (which is inherently true)" or even "God knows what He is doing." and though they may bring some comfort, they place the weight if the guilt on God as though God were being gently malicious. the comfortable answer is the accusatory one, the blame-shifting answer. the uncomfortable answer is the avoided one. He wants to use us for His glory, He wants to include us in His plan to heal the broken-hearted, to give life to the dead, to bind up the wounded and restore them to healing and a right walk with God.

but what if we're still wounded ourselves? will the healing come when we reach out to others?

will He use me? the comfortable answer is yes or even He already is,the uncomfortable answer is what am i doing to prepare?

what position am i am i putting my heart in, my life in, to bring Him the most glory? when i bring Him glory, then shall i wear His glory. when i wear His glory, i can carry it anywhere with ease. is it not easier to wear a shirt or jacket than to have to carry it around? it is why we tie our coats around our necks or waists instead of holding them in our hands. it is restrictive to hold something in our hands, we either have to put it down or put it on in order to free our hands for use. there is no garment less restrictive than the glory of God.

the Word of God says "put on a garment of praise..." and "put on the whole armor of God..." not carry them. too often we try to slip these items on over what we are already wearing but we need to realize that we must completely change our wardrobes, which includes stripping down tothe nakedness of humility and begin again with the clothing of the Spirit. "the Church is only beautiful when she is clothed with the Spirit."