Suit Up, Legends!

Some have suggested that clothes “make” the man. Others are persuaded that clothes “tell” of the man. Either way you view it, clothes do, in a sense, tell something about us. As one who has an appreciation for art, design, architecture, and fashion, I am compelled that beauty, creativity, and presentation are an interesting facet of life. I see wonder in texture, shape, color, space, depth, and scale. This applies not only to the physical world, but to personality, relationships, worship, and to our spirituality. We were created by an amazingly creative being who has placed wonder and variety all around us. This world is “suited” up to display the handiwork of the creative power of God.

I would suggest, whatever your view of clothing may be, that as legends (those leaving a legacy) in the making, we ought to be concerned with how we are adorned. I speak of this adornment, of course, mostly in a spiritual sense. The metaphor of putting on or suiting up is appropriate as it relates to how we live and move in our daily life. If you know anything about college football you have, no doubt, learned of the multiple uniforms worn by the Oregon Ducks football team. Unlike any other team in collegiate sports, these wacky (pun intended…get it? Ducks, wacky…) ballers put on a different outfit for just about every game. I for one, dig their get-ups.

Before I get too far afield from the real topic at hand, let me get to the point. If we are to become the kind of people God has called us to be, and if we are to live the kind of life God has called us to live, and if we are to impact others as God has called us to impact those around us, then we ought to give great care to the way we “dress out” in the game of life. I will use a couple of stories, keeping the metaphor of clothing in play (in this case coats), to make the point.

In the days following the death of Blaise Pascal (1662) his housekeeper happened upon a find which shed a brilliant light on the conversion of this man, history’s most important mathematician. The find was in fact a coat of Pascal’s. The coat, known to be one which Pascal wore quite often, contained, sewn into the lining near the breast, a parchment and a piece of paper. On both the parchment and the paper, in Pascal’s own hand, a note was found. As it turns out, history now records this discovery as Blaise Pascal’s “night of fire”. This night of fire (written in 1654), which Blaise kept in his coat for the following eight years until his death, turns out to be Pascal’s most important life event.

This event, brought upon by Pascal’s reading of the crucifixion of Christ, is said to have been so defining for him that from this moment on he left his work in mathematics behind and devoted the remainder of his life to studying and writing about theological matters. It appears that Pascal was so overcome by the presence of Christ in that moment, that he was redefined as a human being. Below, are a few lines from Pascal’s “night of fire” found in his coat,

The year of grace 1654. Monday, 23 November, fest of St. Clement… From about half-past ten in the evening until about half-past midnight. Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob… The God of Jesus Christ… Your God will be my God.

From that moment on Pascal’s life was changed, and his wardrobe redefined. Every day afterward he kept the night of fire close to his heart, sewn into the lining of his coat. A new man, a new uniform. He was suited up to be God’s man for the rest of his life. He went on to write Pensees, a remarkable work which is a collection of thoughts on life and God’s work in the world.

Another story highlighting the importance of our spiritual “threads” comes from Ravi Zacharias’ book, Can Man Live Without God. In the book he retells the story of Jakov and Cimmerman, originally told by Marie Chapian in the book Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy. The story unfolds as follows:

There is a magnificent story in Marie Chapian’s book…which told of the sufferings of the true church in Yugoslavia where so much wrong has been perpetuated by the politicized ecclesiastical hierarchy. That which has gone on in the name of Christ for the enriching and empowering of corrupt church officials has been a terrible affront to decency.

One day an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived in a certain village. He commiserated with an elderly man named Cimmerman on the tragedies he had experienced and talked to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, a history replete with plundering, exploiting, and indeed with killing innocent people. “My own nephew was killed by them,” he said and angrily rebuffed any attempt on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ. “They wear those elaborate coats
and caps and crosses,” he said, “signifying a heavenly commission, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov, looking for an occasion to get Cimmerman to change his line of thinking, said, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track; they recognized your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?”

“I would deny it,” said Cimmerman.

“‘Ah, but we saw your coat,‘ they would say,” retorted Jakov. This analogy quite annoyed Cimmerman, who ordered Jakov to leave his home.

Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ, with him. Finally one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?” and Jakov taught him the simple steps of repentance for sin and of trust in the work of Jesus Christ and gently pointed him to the Shepherd of his soul. Cimmerman bent his knee on the soil with his head bowed and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.” And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

And so the importance of our putting on the right suit becomes clear. It all begins when we, like Pascal, find our hearts afire with the love of God. As our soul’s are set ablaze for the life God intends for us we come truly alive for the first time. Our journey and calling just begin there, however, and God has much for us to do and to be. What the story of Jakov and Cimmerman highlights is the importance of our suiting up in such a way that we point others to God and not away from Him. Our coat (mode of living) is always giving others clues about the God we claim to serve. We must ask ourselves if our conduct, attitudes, and countenance clue people in to the nature of God or not. Our consistent, grace-filled, compassionate, spiritually poised, and forgiving presence could very well be the match which God uses to light the fire of salvation in the hearts of others.

If we are to have any hope of living as legends and leaving a God-honoring legacy, it will come from our intentional and grace inspired daily activity. If people see us hot for God one day and cold another, as a regular pattern, we are offering a false view of an ever loving and faithful God like those officials in Cimmerman’s village. If, however, we suit up for each an every situation which God calls us to (like Jakov and the Mighty Ducks of Oregon!) we can expect the legacy we leave to be defining and life-giving for many.

So, today, whatever you face, whoever you come across, regardless of the situation, remember that you never lock eyes with another human being who does not matter to God. Suit up, put on your best coat, and light up your world. We are to be the adornment of God, showing forth the compelling and matchless love of the One who was disrobed of the glory of heaven, sent to earth as a babe in a smelly manger, hung upon a cross, and was killed (and came back triumphant from the grave) in order that we might experience life to the full. As it is in the movie Legend, so it is in our lives, we are defined by our daily choices to impact the world. As we seek to bring light into the darkness, we can be assured that as the light moves forward the darkness diminishes. Let us, with the help of an active God, bring our conduct into the light of truth, and in doing so, may we lead others out of the darkness of life apart from God. We are leaving a legacy. Let us make it a good one. This is our calling in the Season of Light and all year round.

Tomorrow–Beattitudes and Beauty, The difference a legend makes

Show your threads!

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

This entry was posted on 19. December 2007 at 11:43 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.