Jack has two daughters. Jack’s daughters love to shop for clothes. But Jack’s two daughters are 14 and 15 years old, and neither is licensed to drive. When the new season’s clothing lines arrive on the racks, guess who has to drive two giddy teenagers to the mall? It’s not the trip that’s the problem. Two giddy teenaged sisters squealing for joy, anticipating fashion nirvana is actually a fun cargo to be transporting. Driving them home in exhausted satisfaction isn’t a bad ride, either. The problem is the waiting; the waiting for the end of the boutique bacchanal. To make it worth the wait, Jack negotiates stopping for lunch at the new Italian restaurant across the parking lot.
The car barely rolls to a stop before the girls are flying across the asphalt, onto the sidewalk and through the big glass doors. Dad takes his time. There will be a lot of time to take. He finds a fairly comfortable bench inside by some potted trees and in view of the fountain; a pleasant setting to pass the time. And, oh, did time pass. These girls were locked on to trying on everything they could get their hands on. The rest of the universe disappeared – there was just a girl, her sister, clothes and mirrors. That’s all. No Saturn’s rings; no asteroid belt; no mall fountain; no starving father. (“Where’s my pasta e fagioli?!”) They had set their sights and their thoughts on Volcom and Armani Exchange. Nothing else mattered.
When I read today’s text I saw Paul saying “put to death” one set of things and “clothe yourselves” with another set of things. That’s when I thought of Jack and his daughters. To put to death and rid myself of the practices of the old self, I have to starve them to death. I have to set my sights and my thoughts on clothing – clothing myself with Godly attributes – and let the universe of sins disappear. Lose track of them. Let them starve to death, like Dad on a mall bench. (He didn’t actually die; no fathers were harmed in the production of this blog analogy.)
The things of the earthly nature want our attention. Before we act on those things, we have to think on those things and then set our minds on pursuing those things. Starve them. Starve them of the attention they crave. Get absorbed mentally and passionately with the higher, nobler things. “Set your heart on things above …” “Set your mind on things above …” Be so locked on to kindness, humility, patience, forbearance and forgiveness that you just don’t have time for lust, greed and idolatry. Be so hot after thankfulness, encouragement and love that anger, slander, and filthy language get left out in the cold to die.
With the old you off, and the new you put on – trust me – you’ll look marvelous!
Pray: Jesus, you are my life. Christ, you are in me. Christ, you are everything. May Your peace rule and Your word dwell richly in my heart. Help me to starve the desires of my flesh. Help me to do everything in the Name of the Lord. Thank you. Thank you. A thousand times, thank you!
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