Hand-me-downs

Been spending lots of time at my childhood home lately.  That seems to be fueling multiple trips down memory lane.  Never sure where the road might lead, or where I might find a point along the trail to pull off and ponder a scenic overlook.  Today's retrospective --- hand-me-downs.

In those younger years, my wardrobe was made up, almost exclusively, of the outgrown cast-offs from others. Don't get me wrong; I thought then, as I believe now, that it is a perfectly wonderful arrangement. In fact, one of my favorite current hobbies involves trying to breathe new life into old articles of clothing. Thank goodness for community theater costuming needs!

This month my dad turned 82.  I watched him open a gift containing shirts (new with tags).  Will he wear them?  Doubtful.  Why?  They are labeled extra large.  And my dad insists he's a medium.  Oh, Dad, that train left the station a few decades back, but he's become so accustom to ill-fitting clothes he thinks that is how things are supposed to fit.  Ever found yourself in that situation?  I love the line from Dolly Parton's character in Steel Magnolias when they're discussing shoe size.  "I wear a 6, but a 7 feels so good that I buy an 8."

All that aside, I'm reminded of an ancient story involving hand-me-downs. Well hand-me-ups better describes the situation.  David. Sandwiched between the time of his service to Saul as an armor bearer, and taking the throne, was that little Goliath incident.  1 Samuel 17 tells us the story.  Before the sling's shot that was heard around the world, Saul, who was "head and shoulders" taller than the average Israelite, offered his battle gear for David to wear. Intention far outweighing execution here.

My guy is exactly head and shoulders taller than I, and that amounts to a 12 inch difference.  Google Iron Age armor and it's easy to see why Saul's offer lacked wisdom and foresight. There's no 'give' in that stuff! What was he thinking?

What was David, who had been charged with hauling that stuff around prior to this altercation with the Philistine, thinking?  He would had to have known that he wouldn't  be his most effective self ensconced behind a wall of iron, I wouldn't be surprised if  he hadn't actually already tried the stuff on back when he was Saul's armor barer. It would be hard to resist.  And we know David had difficulty in that area, but that's a story for another day.

Today has me wondering  what is it any of  us might be thinking when we, like Saul,  insist others walk in a life not designed for them?  Or, how delusional one must be to ignore the pain of trying to wear the ill-fitting armor fashioned specifically for another?  Thankfully David came to his senses, shed Saul's stuff, and trusted in what he knew: his God, and his God's promise as well as his own practiced skill.

What happens when we refuse to honestly assess our lives by comparing them with another's or even against what may have been our own but is no longer relevant?

Today I look at my closet and I see a lot of  hand-me-downs. Most fit me well enough and were perfectly suited to the person I was yesterday.  But today's a new day.  And there's nothing pretty about insisting on squishing into a medium when my needs have expanded to accommodate an extra large. Not sure what that means but it's time to find out.