Jackets of Love
If you know anything about me you know that I am cold natured. Once temperatures drop below 75 degrees you will probably see me with a jacket on. I hate to be cold. Always being cold is something me and my Grandma bonded over, because she was just like me. She was definitely wearing more than one pair of socks year round and her electric blanket never strayed too far from her chair in the living room. This is something Popa loved to pick on us about too. When it would be cold outside we had to stay on the look out because he was going to come in to the house and put his icy hands on the back of our necks. For him it was a good laugh, for me it sent shivers down to my bones.
Like I said, Grandma always had something warm on, no matter the season. I guess this is why she owned the only lined raincoat I had ever seen in my life. I loved that rain jacket and I remember seeing her wear it on many occasions. That jacket is just such a “Grandma” piece of clothing. Perhaps that’s why, not long after she passed away I went over to their house and grabbed her rain jacket. In the weeks and months following Grandma’s funeral I wore her jacket. I left the paper clip she had stuck on the lapel and the napkin she had gently folded in the pocket as souvenirs from the woman I admired. If it was too hot to wear then it rode draped over my passenger seat. When I looked over and saw that purple jacket I could hear Grandma shooing Popa’s icy hands away as she laughed her laugh that I miss so much. Her jacket meant the world to me.
Then, when Popa passed a few months later I knew the one thing I needed to get of his. I needed his jacket. Popa’s jacket is much different from Grandma’s. His was huge and green. He didn’t wear it often, only when it was really cold, but when he did I noticed. When he would come over to our house for supper or a cup of coffee he would drape it over the back of my Dad’s recliner, or the couch, or whatever piece of furniture was closest. Most times I would put his jacket on and just wear it. I’m not sure why, probably because I was already cold, but I loved to wear his jacket around. Some days I would even wear it outside to feed animals or run a quick errand because I knew he wouldn’t miss it that much. Now that jacket hangs in my closet, right next to Grandma’s. It still has his orange ear plugs from working with his saw, his empty wrapper from a cotton boll twist, and pockets full of saw dust. These two jackets are two of my most prized possessions from my grandparents because of the comfort they bring me. I can’t help but be reminded of the comfort we receive when we wrap ourselves in the “jacket” that Jesus offers us.
Have you ever been so broken hearted and beat down that you don’t know what else to do? You can physically feel a weight in your chest and a lump in your throat and you’re just overwhelmed. I’ve been there many, many times and the only thing that ever makes me feel better is talking to Jesus about it. He longs for you to share these things with Him because He wants to take your pain, anxiety, anger, whatever it is away. Even when you cannot find the words to describe what you’re feeling or going through He knows. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
When I miss my grandparents with everything in me I put on a jacket and I feel wrapped in their love. That is exactly what Jesus wants to do for you. God said He wants a relationship with his children and this is seen throughout the bible. He walked with Adam and Eve because He wanted to know them. He talked with Moses because He wanted to do great things through him. He blessed David because He loved him. That same God wants to know you that way, use you in great ways, and love you that deeply. All you have to do is trust in Him.
That’s the amazing thing about having that relationship with your Creator, He truly cares and will always listen. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Cast your troubles and sorrows on the Lord, wrap yourself in his jacket of love and receive His comfort. However, the verse doesn’t end there. Once you have been comforted you also need to comfort others who were feeling the way you were. Share the love of Christ and what He has done for you. Always reach out and fill up someone else’s cup, especially when yours begins to run over. Just like Grandma and Popa’s jackets brought comfort to them, they now bring comfort to me, and one day they may bring comfort to someone else.
