The Oven Mitt

I enjoy baking.
I enjoy cooking.
Old-fashioned aprons are part of my kitchen attire.
Aprons that cover the front of me but not the back.

Taking things out of the oven requires the use of oven mitts.
Oven mitts are an enigma to me.
They are usually sold, not in pairs but singularly.
They are usually made for the right hand.

Being left-handed, that presents a problem.
If the oven mitt is a solid color, I can easily buy two of them.
I just turn one of the mitts around to fit on my left hand.
However when the oven mitt has a design on the top, buying two makes no sense.

That happened to me at Christmas time.
I bought two, new oven mitts with a Christmas tree on the top.
It was not until I made our traditional Christmas breakfast that I noticed it.
The design on my left hand mitt was not on the top of my hand but rather on the palm.

Our family has very fair skin.
We sunburn easily and never tan.
The smallest cut or blister leaves a red mark for quite some time.
That is when oven mitts present a problem for me.

Being tall, I have long arms and long legs.
Pants need to be tall and sleeves need to be long enough.
Oven mitts are usually one size fits all.
They are not made for people with long arms.

It never fails that when I take something out of the oven, my arm will hit the oven rack.
Almost instantaneously, a red mark appears.
That red mark will very quickly turn to a blister.
I have two such marks on my left arm right now.

You think I would learn.
My children tease me that I need oven mitts that go to my elbows.
They are probably right.
There is always a place on my arm that is unprotected.

Even in the summer, you can always see the one spot I couldn’t reach with sunscreen.
The one spot that was unprotected.
The one spot that wasn’t covered.
The one spot that was exposed.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

The armor of God.
The equipment we must put on each day for our protection.
Though we cannot physically see the armor, it is there nonetheless.
Each piece plays an important part of our daily walk with the Lord.

It is the shield of faith that is most like my oven mitt.
My oven mitt can only protect what it covers.
All the areas that are uncovered are exposed and vulnerable.
The red marks on my arms are evidence.

In this type of warfare, the enemy used flaming arrows.
The soldier’s shield was made of leather.
The soldier would wet the leather with water before battle.
When the flaming arrows hit the wet leather, they would extinguish.

The soldier was very protected by this full body shield.
The soldier was protected as long as he never turned around.
If he turned around, the soldier ‘s back was exposed.
The flaming arrow could easily pierce any part of the soldier’s vulnerable back.

The best thing for the soldier was to face the enemy protected by his shield.
The worst thing for the soldier was to turn his back on the enemy.
The parts of his body that were uncovered were the parts that were most vulnerable.
Facing the enemy with his shield in place offered the greatest protection.

It is the same with us.
God designed His armor to cover us but it is up to us to put that armor on every day.
To know the Gospel through the Word of God so that in faith we can believe His truth.
Once we believe, we are made righteous in Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation.

We face our enemy, the devil, protected wearing this heavenly armor.
We know our adversary.
We never turn our back on him.
We use our Sword, the Word of God, as both our offensive and defensive weapon.

With His armor on, we are not vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
With our shield of faith, we can extinguish all the flaming arrows the enemy shoots at us.
Can you hear them sizzle as the fire goes out?
You can stand firm because you are able to stand.

Uncovered, we are exposed.
Covered, we are protected.
In faith, we dress ourselves each day ready for battle.
In faith, we know the battle is His and He is victorious.

Amen!