What Are You Wearing Today?

Old egg cartons, an empty box, and a teal trash can clutter the floor of my kitchen. My son sits in the midst of the pile of trash imagining the transformation possibilities. In less than an hour, he converts the pile of waste into a warrior’s uniform.

Each piece of broken cardboard reminds him of the Armor of God lesson he completed in school that day. My seven-year-old, proudly adorned with his breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, belt of truth, shield of faith, and the cutting sword of God’s word, is ready for a Kingdom battle. 

I pray he never really knows the sting of earthly war, but more than that, I want him prepared to fight. Even now there is a spiritual battle for his soul (and ours), and I am confident that only God will be able to defend him from the attacks of the enemy. So, I pray he uses the boldness of his faith to grow into His role as a soldier for the kingdom and chooses each day to stand up for God’s Truth in this world. I trust God’s Word will be what pierces through the darkness and defends him from the lies and temptations of the enemy. The gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and God’s righteousness will guard my son’s heart and mind, and it will be by God’s might alone that he will experience victory over sin, evil, and the pain of this world.

What started as a simple craft project may just be the reminder he needs to walk with the peace and confidence of Christ in a spiritually war-torn world.

And you and I can have the same confidence and protection, but we have to get dressed for the fight. God’s Armor is waiting and ready for you to put it on. 

“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.” (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV)

Looking at the picture of my son, ready and fearless, these words came to mind as a prayer for each of us.

Lord, 

Take our brokenness (trash), forged from heartache, loss, mistakes, and lies of this world, and transform them into weapons for your glory. Reshape our hearts and lives into powerful vessels for your truth. Guard our hearts and our minds from the attacks of the enemy. Equip our arms, legs, hands, and feet to take your peace and love into a broken world. By your mighty hand and protection, may we walk in the assurance that you have already won the fight and shine your light into the darkness. 

In Jesus’ saving name, 

Amen