Pull Out Your Robe and Wrap Someone Up!

I had a crazy day of way too many virtual meetings! Yuck. I was ready for the day to be OVER, and took off to go run on the Pathfinder. I was working all the stress out of my body and finished up my run, and went back to my truck. I had a text message from my Pastor. He said, “Are you coming to the meeting?” AHHHH…..

I had totally forgotten. It was even on my calendar.

I was so ready to be done with work and the day, I wasn’t thinking about anything else.

I jumped on the phone and did the meeting via speakerphone. At the end of the meeting, I said, “I need to apologize to you all. I am in a very stressful season at work and don’t feel like I am my best self. I am sorry for the miss.”

My coworker, strongly and confidently said, “Well, WE FORGIVE YOU, and we are going to be in the exact same situation at some point and will need grace.”

In the moment of my weakness, my fragility, my failing, my mistake, with my humanness exposed, I was “covered.”

I went by to see my daddy at his job site. He was sitting, eating his lunch, and taking a break. I was dealing with this stressful work week. I wanted to complain. He was already stressed.

He had to finish a French drain that day, before leaving for the weekend to minister at a church in Michigan. He was under a lot of pressure.

He was on his 73-year-old knees on the concrete, trying to make things work, and as always, some things were not working out perfectly.

So, we chatted a bit, he growled a bit, I tried to offer some help, he apologized for his shortness, and told me how he had to get this drain done. I kissed his salty, sweaty cheek and said, “I Love you.”

Later that day, as he was driving back home to Tulsa, he sent me a message. “I am sorry I was so grouchy today.” He explained the stress he was under, but then proceeded to remind me who I am and built me up with his love and guidance.

I told him, “It’s okay daddy, I know, I love you.”

Love COVERS us in our most vulnerable state.

My son and I were in the car, and he was driving me crazy. We get to where we are arguing back and forth. I being the adult, should know better that this type of arguing does nothing. But I proceed anyway. He gets mad. I am annoyed. I spent the rest of the evening a bit frustrated and contemplating what next?

I slept and woke up, and decided love was going to be my next move. I wrote him a note to see at 6:15am as he was leaving for his work-out.

When he got back to the house, I said, “I am sorry, I was so crabby yesterday. I love you, I am proud of you.” He got a little shy smile on his face, “Why do you say that?” I reminded him who he is, what I see in him, and affirmed who he is becoming.

He was covered.

We all want it. Will you love me, will you accept me, even when I mess up? Even when I am not perfect? Even at my worst? Even when I am stressed and not “performing well.” When my humanness shows up and I am not my best self, will you still love me? Will you cover me?

It is the most beautiful gift we can give each other. The gift of allowing people to be HUMAN.

One of the greatest, most heroic, humbling acts is admitting you were wrong and asking for forgiveness.

Sometimes it takes us a long time to learn this skill. Even though we teach our little children how to say “I am sorry,” it seems as adults, somehow we often think we have outgrown this practice.

When was the last time someone apologized to you? When is the last time you said to someone, “I forgive you?”

There is so much power in this “elementary practice”, yet so many of us do not utilize the transformational, healing power. It is vulnerable. It feels like total exposure. But all of us need to experience the healing that comes when you are totally exposed and someone then covers you.

There was a healer who came to redeem the human experience. His naked body was laid in front of crowds to spit on and insult, and despising the shame, he remained in the vulnerable child-like, powerless state, and overcame it all with forgiveness and love.

The ultimate covering was created.

A blanket of love that would hover and drape across all humanity. There, accessible, ready, secure, the brilliant blanket of love, or what you might call a robe of “rightness.” A robe that is wrapped around us when we are naked and ashamed and sets everything “right.”

My dear, this is what I want for you: if you are feeling exposed, ashamed, unloved, unwanted, discouraged, forsaken, alone, abandoned, or maybe in need of forgiveness, I want you to allow this blanket to engulf you. I want you to feel yourself wrapped up in the perfect, never-ending comfort of security, knowing you are COVERED.

Then I want you to offer this experience to others. To allow others to be fully human, to mess up, to make mistakes, to be exposed and vulnerable, and YOU be the one to offer them this robe that makes all things “right”, wrap them up, and watch how the divine works through you, to heal and perfect the beautiful creations that we are. My dear, pull out your robe, and wrap someone UP!

From my Heart to Yours,