This morning while getting dressed, I noticed that I had multiple threads on all of my garments which were beginning to unravel. The seam of my shirt, the seam of my belt, and even the seam of my underwear were all in a dangerous state of allowing all my hems to completely unravel. I noticed that the “fashionable” holes in my jeans were also getting larger and more frayed.
As I was carefully clipping them as close to the garment as possible, doing my best to prevent any further pulling, I had a thought which has stuck with me all day.
The problems we all have which are the result of our sinful behavior—being unforgiving, holding on to anger, continuing to do what we know we shouldn’t do, etc.—all of these problems are like those threads. Some of them are rather small and are seemingly harmless. Others are quite long, obviously in danger of pulling apart the entire seam. All these threads—all these sins—are not part of the original plan of the garment maker.
My clothes were painstakingly and deliberately formed to have a good life; they were stitched together in such a way as to keep their shape and their integrity. However, time often begins to wear at the garment and if it isn’t handled with loving care, threads can come loose. Snags and loose seams, when left untreated and ignored will always lead to longer threads which threaten to altogether destroy the garment. Yet, if these unravellings are caught and tended to early enough, there is a greater chance that they won’t increase in size, ultimately ruining the garment.
When we allow our lives to go unchecked and let the angry threads, the unforgiving threads, the rebellious and unrighteous ones to continue to pull at the seams, we run the risk of finding ourselves in utter disrepair. But by snipping them when we find them, no matter how long they may be, we are generally able to temporarily save the garment from complete ruin.
But the garment still has been damaged and isn’t what its maker intended it to be. Thankfully, the garment maker is one who is very accessible; he is willing to fix it and to do it without cost to you. In fact, he’s already paid for you to have a renewed garment altogether—you only need to ask him to give it to you. And while he is very, very good at repairing and restoring what you bring to him, he has even better things hidden away for you that he also wants to give away.
You see, as the garments of this world will fade and tatter and unravel from time to time (even those mended by the garment maker), they cannot compare to the special one that the he has tailored specifically for you. For these clothes will never fade. They will never tear. They cannot be soiled or stained or unravelled. The were created with the utmost care, lovingly fashioned in complete beauty and splendor. And the best part is, they are freely given.
While I do find myself unraveling from time to time, I am so thankful to have a friend and skilled teacher who knows how to patch me up; he knows how to keep me together until the day when he lovingly hands me his perfect creation in all its wonder. While my clothes here are not perfect, they do have sewn into them a very special label from the most brilliant designer. I am very proud to wear that fashion label, and very lucky to have been given the honor of doing so.
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