The Right Clothes

By Virginia Smith

My husband and I enjoy taking trips together on his motorcycle. Last summer we rode down to Escalante National Park in southern Utah, and before we left I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. I had a jacket and helmet, but they were out of style. Now, that doesn’t matter one bit to my husband, but it does to me. I mean, what will the other biker chicks think if I zoom down the road sporting out-of-date clothes?

So, I went shopping for some snazzy new biker gear. Motorcycle clothing is expensive, but I was prepared to spend big bucks for a helmet, because I know how important head protection is. And I wanted a new riding jacket made of reinforced mesh with protective pads at the shoulders and elbows. The saleslady stuck with me, showing me different styles and commenting on the way certain colors complimented my complexion, – you know, the important stuff.

When I’d selected these two items, I hesitated. I’d already spent a lot of money. Did I really need boots and riding gloves, too? This woman looked me calmly in the eye and said, “You only need to wear protective gear over any body part you wish to keep.”

Oh.

Well, when she put it like that… “Let’s take a look at those darling boots I saw in the window. And do you have gloves to match the jacket?”

My husband almost didn’t let me on the back of his bike when he saw my colorful, wacky helmet, but as far as I’m concerned, if you’re going to dress like a biker, you might as well do it in style. The important thing is, besides looking good in my new biker outfit, every body part was protected.

Perched on the back of my husband’s bike during the ride, I contemplated the obvious biblical comparison. The Apostle Paul describes the protective gear God gives us in Ephesians 6 – the belt, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield, even the helmet. When we clothe ourselves with this gear, we’re protected from the spiritual attacks of the enemy. Complete and total coverage. And we can be sure when we put on this heavenly protective gear; we’re traveling down God’s road totally in style.

PRAYER: Keep us safe, Lord, as we travel on the road You have laid out for us.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,” Ephesians 6:11 KJV.

Today’s devotion is by Virginia Smith, the author of over a dozen novels including Stuck in the Middle, which was a finalist for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award, and the upcoming Third Time’s a Charm. Learn more about Ginny and her books at www.VirginiaSmith.org.