Is That What You’re Wearing?

To Tamsen, the heroine of The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn, clothing is an unabashed joy—usually. But at the start of her story, she feels a prisoner in the beautiful gown she’s forced to don to win a wealthy husband—and a life she doesn’t truly want. A life God doesn’t plan for her.

Tamsen burns the gown in rejection of that unwanted life, and will go through several more changes of garments before all is said and done. Gowns, petticoats, hose, shoes, and stays—the choosing of them, the altering of them, the discarding and creating of them—reflect the changes taking place in Tamsen’s character as she navigates her challenging circumstances.

Each outward change presents a picture of Tamsen’s attempt to hear God’s voice leading her ever further into a life radically different from anything she’s known. Step by step (gown by gown) He’s transforming her, giving her revelation of herself as she pursues Him, until, having reached a place so far beyond the boundaries others once set for her, she joyfully creates a set of clothes unlike any she ever imagined wearing.

When we turn to God in repentance, he comes to indwell us by his Spirit. He also clothes us. Firstly, most gloriously, he gives us his robe of righteousness—the cleansing blood of Jesus. But there are other garments with which we can choose to clothe ourselves.

We can put on the garment of praise: Isaiah 61:3

We can don humility: 1 Peter 5:5

Colossians 3:12 exhorts us to clothe ourselves with tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.

We can even put on the Lord Jesus Christ (his nature). Romans 13:14 commands it.

And of course there is Ephesians 6:13-17. We have a whole set of armor for spiritual warfare at our disposal.

At any point along our way, on any given day, we can put these garments on or take them off. As you pursue God’s leading down the path of life, choose your spiritual garments well, for one day… in the twinkling of an eye… we shall be changed.