Thursday, January 29, 2009

Playing Dress Up

Monday morning after we waved goodbye to our weekend guests, the girls and I settled in for some morning chores, a little school and just general fun. (we did not observe MLK day last week so we could have a fun day this week)

Not long after I sent the girls upstairs to gather laundry, I heard giggles, squeals and then one of them said..."Let's put them on!". They came to the top of the stairs each wearing a jacket and carrying the rest of Fran's hanging clothes.

I grabbed my phone took a picture sent it to Fran asking if she forgot anything. :) Then grabbed my camera to take a 'real' picture. It was just too fun not to.



While Chloe has grown out of the playing dress up stage, Emma is STILL there. (This is the child that becomes Panty Girl when she thinks we need a laugh.) It was funny to watch them oh so carefully take Mrs. Fran's jackets off and hang them up.

While the girls were strutting their stuff in these very fine jackets...my mind got to thinking about how cute they looked. You can see the jackets are LONG, but the arms are what were so funny to me. The sleeves hung down around their little knees. They didn't fit...no way...as much as my girls pretended that they did...Mrs. Fran's jackets were not made for them.

Later in the afternoon I was preparing my notes to lead Bible study on Tuesday evening. (Sidenote: my ministry team Freedom's Call is doing a Bible study geared toward artists...they asked me to lead this one.) This was the first week and the chapter title was "How to keep your passion alive."

Deep in that first chapter the author talks about our Christian life being an adventure, a one of a kind God planned adventure. Our ministry team has a specific adventure that God has planned just for us. YOU have a specific God planned adventure! However, sometimes we are so captivated by someone else's adventure that we miss our own. You know what I mean?

We look at someone else and think I want to do THAT. Why can't I do that? I'm just as talented, just as capable...I could probably do a better job.... Are you still with me? Maybe it's just me that does that!

My point is this. Just like Chloe and Emma put on Mrs. Fran's jackets, and pretended to be her, those jackets did not fit. They would not have been able to wear them for very long without getting frustrated. The sleeves would have been in everything, they would have tripped because those jackets hung down around their little feet. It would have been a big ole mess and I would have had two VERY miserable little girls on my hands.

Same thing in life. When we try to force ourselves into a ministry, or position that God has not planned for us, it isn't going to work. It won't fit. We are going to be miserable.

God has quite an adventure planned for you. It's tailored to fit YOU and only you. If you are too busy trying to make it look like another person's ministry, then what God desires to do through you will not be done, and an important part of the body of Christ will be missing.

So today, can I challenge you to put on the jacket God designed for you to wear? Just try it and see what happens.

14 comments:

BethAnne said...

Nope, it isnt just you who wants to wear jackets that dont fit....I think we all do that at times (some of us more than others ;-).....the root of the problem is impatience and a little vanity....we are impatient for God to act on our behalf and we want to be seen rather than for God to be seen through us. Not that I know anything about that, you understand.

Anonymous said...

This is so true! If I am totally honest with myself, I have must say that I have been struggling lately with other people's "jackets"! I will choose to focus today on my own jacket, and to not miss the blessing that God is waiting to give me. Thank you for this today, it spoke directly to my heart.
Love,
Becky

Still Learning said...

Great post. Any suggestions for trying to figure out what our jacket is? All I know is that I am called to help. That's it. I am not sure what to do with that.

Melinda said...

EXCELLENT post! This is such a temptation and, when we succumb to it, a disaster!

Before I even started reading, my eyes went straight to the picture and I thought, "that looks just like Fran's coat!" :o)

Hugs this day,
Melinda

Patty said...

You know what this post means to me! You are so right and I am thankful that you wrote on this subject. I think it was meant for Fran to leave them behind. :) I think the enemy tries to get us so focused on another person's calling so we won't focus on God or seek Him with His purpose for our lives.

I can tell you when we saw the picture we wanted to cry. We miss ya'll so much. I think of you throughout the day and your sweet family and it puts a smile on my face and I am thinking that God needs to bring us together again, soon!

Love you,
Patty

Heather C said...

Definitely not just you. And now I'm coveting Miss Fran's jackets! LOVE that brown one! :)

Great post!

Cindy said...

I have struggled with this. It is so easy to get distracted by others' callings especially if we aren't sure what He has for us.

I am praying that we will put on our own jackets and take off on our God given adventure.

Thanks for the great post.

Cindy

Fran said...

Mrs. Fran totally gets this post. I need to be reminded over and over that God has a plan, a fit, just for me. I so badly want to walk in that "fit."

I miss all of you so much. Praying for your sweet family.
Big hugs,
Fran

Haley said...

How funny! That's really cool! Steph, you should write a devotional book! I'd be the first one to buy it! Not to mention the fact that I could brag about knowing you once you got famous...I just got your voicemail from the other night. (My phone has been broken.) I loved the whisper at the end! Love you!

Rachel said...

girl, that's a Word that would preach. Thank you - those exact thoughts have been running through my head this last long while. But I know I need to be where I am, and totally here, with the Lord, on my very own adventure!

Heather said...

A good word, as usual, sweet friend! And your girls are just adorable...also as usual!

Leah Adams said...

Wow!! Great, great post. It is so true that God has a "jacket" or calling specifically for each one of us. If I try to fit into your calling I just get all twisted up and same if you try to fit into my calling.

The girls are adorable!!

Leah

GratefulinGA said...

i have had a terrible time finding you and then tried to join your 'followers' only to get an error message. have you quit adding followers?

i will be thinking of you all this weekend as I recall what spendid fellowship we had last weekend.
so glad to call you Siesta and friend.
sending you bunches of love and many blessings,
tammy
Philippians 1:3

Carol said...

Awesome post! It is so hard for us to get that point sometimes!