The Saga Of The Pants

My husband and I were getting ready to go out to dinner.
We would be with others at the table.
I chose to wear a new pair of black ankle pants.
They were hanging in my closet but I had never worn them before.

I picked a shirt, shoes, and purse to complete the outfit.
I was ready a few minutes after I said I would be downstairs.
I felt rushed that night.
My husband wasn’t rushing me; it was something inside me that felt rushed.

We drove to the restaurant.
We were the first to arrive.
We were seated in a lovely alcove, with windows all around.
I knew that I would be ordering the salmon that I had ordered once before.

Even though it was a nice evening, I was looking forward to getting home.
I wanted to get out of my dress shoes.
I wanted to put on my comfy clothes and have a cup of tea.
I wanted to put my feet up and relax before bed.

When I walked into my closet to undress, I felt something rough against my back.
It was a tag!
It was the price tag!
I had left the price tag on the back of my black ankle pants, unbeknownst to me!

The fact that I felt something rough against my back was reassuring.
Even though the price tag was still there, it was tucked inside.
I had not felt it all evening.
My shirt was longer so I knew that even if the tag had been out, it would not have been seen.

I could hear my aunt’s voice in my memory.
What the well dressed woman will wear!
I laughed to myself.
I was thankful that the tag had been safely tucked inside.

A few days later, I was wearing a pair of black active wear pants.
If truth be told, I live in these pants and have quite a few pairs of them.
I like to wear them with long tunic shirts.
They are comfy, yet acceptable to wear out and about as I do my errands.

I remember carrying the laundry basket upstairs.
I wanted to put my phone in the side pocket that makes wearing these pants so convenient.
As if on autopilot, I put my phone against the side of my leg.
The pocket was not there.

I had just bought a new pair of these pants.
I figured that they changed the style a bit and did not have pockets.
I tried without success to put my phone in my pocket while holding the laundry basket.
Finally, I gave up and put my phone on top of the laundry basket.

Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed it.
The logo of the pants was visible.
That logo should be in the back, inside the pants.
The logo should be unseen.

It should be unseen unless you put your pants on inside out!
Sometimes, the pants get washed inside out, but I usually notice it.
I turn them the right way before hanging them up to dry.
Gallaghers rarely dry our pants in the dryer because we cannot afford shrinkage in length.

I must have hung them up quickly.
I must have put them in the laundry basket to go upstairs still inside out.
I must have hung them up in my closet with other active wear without paying attention.
I must have put them on quickly in the morning without noticing the position of the logo.

All day long, running errands, talking to people, I wore my active wear pants inside out.
My pockets were on the inside.
The logo was on the outside.
The long tunic shirt covered it, but I was unaware.

The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7b)

I could be embarrassed about the two things I did so quickly and haphazardly.
I could be ashamed, thinking I was so put together, when really I was not.
I could laugh, realizing that these scenarios truly depict the human condition.
They depict my condition.

I can look put together.
My clothes can be impeccable, at least for all intents and purposes.
Yet underneath the long tunic, tucked away inside the pants, the evidence proves otherwise.
Things are backwards; they are inside out.

God sees all our mistakes.
God sees things we think we hid from Him.
In Christ, God thinks we’re beautiful.
To the Father, in Christ, we are.

Our sin is paid for; we are forgiven.
Our inside-out clothes with the tag still on them, are beautiful to Him who sees the heart.
I thought about the tag that I never removed.
It is actually appropriate, since I have been bought with a price.

Jesus’ blood purchased me.
I am priceless to God the Father.
I see the mishaps but God the Father only sees His Son.
I am well dressed in every way.

So are you when you come to Jesus in faith.
Let Him dress you.

 

2 responses to “The Saga Of The Pants”

1. I like this reminder! We do need to be dressed in Christ, Who loves us more than anyone, including ourselves. Because of Him, we are always beautiful to the Father.

   Reply

   • Amen, Sue!
     We are beautifully dressed in Him!
     Gina

     Reply