MY ROBE OF MANY COLORS
My mother-in-law gave me the most amazing large, soft, plush, pink robe for Christmas two years ago. My robe is as much a part of me in the morning as my Bible, my coffee, and my journal. Recently, I washed my robe with a blue ink pen in the pocket. I also dried my robe with a blue ink pen in the pocket! Needless to say, it looked like the neighborhood boys’ paint-gun army caught me behind enemy lines. I’ve been wearing it anyway. My mom came to visit from Washington recently, and I walked out into the kitchen one cold night wearing my pink and now blue robe.
“What happened to you?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Oh, can you believe this?” I asked. “I washed and dried my awesome robe with a blue ink-pen!”
“I could fix it,” she stated.
“What?! How can you fix this mess?” I asked.
“I can turn each blue ink spot into a flower,” she replied.
“Mom, you must have the patience of Job. That would take so much work! Do you know how many blue ink spots there are? There must be over 100!”
I stirred the chili we were making and got a bunch of it on my sleeve by accident. “Well, what will you make this big chili stain into?” I said as I laughed.
“Well, I’ll have to wash it first, but then I’ll turn every ink spot into a flower if you want me to.”
God whispered to my heart, “Let her do this for you.”
“O.K., Mom, that’ll be great; I can’t wait to see the beauty for ashes this one becomes!” I replied.
There’s a redemption story in this robe because I’m 38 and I’m just now beginning to have a loving relationship with my mom. Addictions have plagued our family for generations. For many years, I kept my mom at a safe distance for fear she would break my heart more. Two years ago, however, God told me to ask my mom to forgive me for withholding love from her for 36 years. Not mentioning any of the things I’d forgiven her for (not listing her sins), I simply called and asked her to forgive me – for withholding love.
Since that time, although circumstances have not changed, my mom is sober when she’s around me and my family. Since I’ve allowed her into my heart and my home, a relationship is developing. It’s no so complicated anymore; I simply allow God to love her through me.
I love my mom, and I love my robe because they both remind me of how God is not bound by anything. When we get hit by 100 ink pens marks (darts from the enemy), God says, “I’ll need to wash you with the blood of the One True Righteous Lamb but in so doing, I can fix that for you if you want Me to.” And then, He takes every arrow mark, every wound, every scar, every piece of the filth of our sin, and He turns them into a harvest of flowers! He is good, He is good, He is God!
Eph 1:7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Eph 1:8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her recently founded Share & Company Publishing House http://seymourkristina.wix.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Originally published Tuesday, 08 August 2023.
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