Armor

This past week was a tough one. Along with the usual stuff, I had to take care of some business still left undone from when Keith died. Part of the business I had not done because there just wasn't a need until now. Another part was business I had tried to take care of a few times, was not treated very well, and left without taking care of my task.


I really was not looking forward to getting this business done. My past experiences with the customer service people involved in getting the business completed have not been good ones. Every other business task I've had to take care of, because of Keith's death, has been fairly easy to handle. I just could not understand why these two particular tasks were so difficult.

Anyway...In trying to gear myself up for the meetings and anticipating having to deal with difficult people, I found myself putting on my girl armor.

Girl armor? What's that? I imagine it's different for everyone. Everyone, male or female, has some kind of routine that they go through that helps them to feel more confident when facing a difficult task. For me, it's girl armor. I put on my makeup as usual, but take more care with it. I style my hair, as usual, but take more care with it. I spend a little more time going through my dressing routine. I chose an outfit that was comfortable, yet I felt confident in. Jewelry was chosen with the same idea in mind. Perfume put on. Then lipstick. Finally, I prayed for God to go before me and prepare the way.

That's my version of girl armor.

All of that led me to remembering that God gives us armor to put on everyday as well. Armor that is far more important than anything we can put on our bodies. This armor of God protects the souls of God's children. It helps us to deflect the acts of Satan. It allows us to stand firm in the face of evil.

Ephesians 6:13-17 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The armor of God that is available to His children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Wow. When compared to the paltry "armor" I thought I needed to help me feel confident for the business that I needed to take care of...there is no comparison.

God provides all I need to see me through every situation. The only piece of armor that I put on the other day was one that wasn't tangible. That piece of armor was praying for God to go before me and prepare the way for me.

I am so thankful for God's infinite grace and mercy. I imagine He was just shaking His head at what I was doing to "prepare" myself. Then when I finally did the only thing I should have done, He might have said, "It took you long enough."

BTW: The business was handled with a calmness and efficiency that only God could have made happen. Every single person that I interfaced with was very kind and did not give me a difficult time. Praise God!