Clothed.

My wedding gown.

Continuing to ponder how He's got me covered.

"We eat our share of forbidden fruit. We say what we shouldn't say. Go where we shouldn't go. Pluck fruit from trees we shouldn't touch. And when we do, the door opens, and the shame tumbles in. And we hide. We sew fig leaves. Flimsy excuses. See through justifications. We cover ourselves in good works and good deeds, but one gust of the wind of truth, and we are naked again- stark naked in our own failure.

So what does God do? Exactly what He did for our parents in the garden. He sheds innocent blood. He offers the life of His Son. And from the scene of the sacrifice the Father takes a robe- not the skin of an animal- but the robe of righteousness. And does He throw it in our direction and tell us to shape up? No, He dresses us Himself. He dresses us with Himself. "You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ" (Galatians 3:26,27).

The robing is His work, not ours. Did you note the activity of Adam and Eve? They did nothing. Absolutely nothing. They didn't request the sacrifice; they didn't think of the sacrifice, they didn't even dress themselves. They were passive in the process. So are we. "You have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it. God has made us what we are." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

We hide. He seeks. We bring sin. He brings a sacrifice. We try fig leaves. He brings the robe of righteousness and we are left to sing the song of the prophet: "He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels" (Isaiah 61:10)

God has clothed us. He protects us with a cloak of love. "
A Love Worth Giving, Max Lucado

I Wear Your Love. photo from the public domain.

The things I've collected, bought or selected
The clutter that fills up my rooms...
I can lock up and leave it, never retrieve it
Leave nothing but my love for you.
Let the storm winds blow I will not be cold

For I wear your love
thrown over my shoulders like a blanket of down
I wear your love
like a bright suit of armor reflecting the sun.
On the chilliest night, though I travel light
It is always enough; for I wear your love

Don't you know? Can't you see?
Head to toe it is covering me.
Like a stone in the ocean's tide,
nothing can hurt me or turn me aside

For I wear your love
thrown over my shoulders like a blanket of down.
I wear your love
like a badge of devotion of love and beyond.
On the chilliest night, though I travel light
It is always enough; for I wear your love.
I wear your love.
Song Lyrics, Kathy Mattea