The Right Outfit

She used to live behind me.
I could see the gables of her white farmhouse through the woods.
She moved with her son and his family to another town, a bit further away.
I tease her that I want to be her when I grow up.

She has been coming to Bible study in my home for years.
She is still coming, even though she does not live behind me any more.
She drives herself.
Some may think that is an odd thing to say; however, this woman is 87 years old.

She looks and acts about 10 years younger.
She is stylish.
She is intelligent.
She is funny.

She texted me early in the morning of our first Bible study.
I have to run an errand so I will get there a little before 9:00.
All the women know to walk right into my house on Bible study day.
I knew that I would be out of my walking clothes and sneakers well before she arrived.

I was wrong.
Since the morning was a bit foggy, she left her home early.
She arrived at my house about forty-five minutes before she expected.
She was not sure about the traffic with the fog and the anticipated rain.

Come on in, I said from the front door as she was walking down the driveway.
I had just finished getting everything ready and still had to jump in the shower.
I have to grab a shower, I said, Make yourself comfortable.
I turned some music on; it wafted through all the speakers downstairs.

About thirty minutes later I opened my bedroom door.
She was reading on my sofa in the family room.
I came downstairs and gave her a hug.
It was so good to be back together again after having the summer off.

She came into the kitchen and we talked for another half hour until the women began to arrive.
She was talking about a house that she and her husband had lived in for many years.
She lived in the town where I went to college.
I knew the area like the back of my hand.

She was asking me about my granddaughter.
She knew that soon my granddaughter will be four months old.
She reminisced about her own son, when he was not able to sit up on his own.
He was only five months old, she said, and I used to prop him up against everything.

I remember he was five months old because of my husband.
One day we were on the patio and my husband pulled up the driveway.
There was a horse trailer behind him.
I got him a pony, my husband informed me.

He’s only five months old, she said with emotion.
Don’t worry, the cart is coming along any minute, he told her.
I laughed so hard seeing her expressions as she told the story.
Do you ride horses? I asked her.

I don’t do sports! She said emphatically.
But I had all of the outfits! She said giggling.
I looked at her in disbelief.
She proceeded to tell me.

My son competed in horse shows, even when he was little.
I walked him around the ring.
I had the entire equestrian outfit.
I never road a horse.

I don’t like black hats, so I had a brown hat made for my riding outfit.
I looked at her, so stylish, so attractive.
I could picture her in her full equestrian outfit.
Somehow, this whole story fit her perfectly.

I don’t do sports but I had all the outfits.

She went on to tell me that she had a golfing outfit and her own golf clubs.
Her husband made sure she took lessons from a golf pro.
They belonged to a country club where the U.S. Open was often held.
The golf pro worked with her on the practice tee.

Weeks went by and she was still on the practice tee.
She was so excited when she actually swung and hit the ball.
It must have gone far away because she could not see it.
The golf pro pointed down towards her feet; she had made a large divot in the green.

Her husband asked the golf pro when his wife could actually play on the golf course.
The golf pro said that would not happen as he pointed to the divot.
But I had my golf outfit, she said laughing.
Golf wasn’t for me, she said quite sure of that conclusion.

Her husband built a tennis court on their property because she showed an interest in tennis.
My husband played tennis and was quite good, she told me.
I just played for fun; it was my court and I just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.
I had my tennis outfit, too, she said with a mischievous smile.

They had a pool in their yard but she never learned to swim.
All of her children knew how to swim; their father made sure of that.
Since her husband was a builder, he was able to design their home the way they wanted.
Their pool was twelve feet deep but he built it with a safety ledge.

That will be good for your children, someone said to him.
Oh, that’s not for my children, he said, it is for my wife.
I just sat on the ledge or floated around the pool on my chair, she said.
I was waiting for her to say: But I had the outfit.

This woman has lived an amazing life.
She loves her family.
She has been a widow for many years.
She loves the Lord.

I really want to be her when I grow up.

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

We journey through this fallen world.
However, in Christ, we do not wear the clothes of the world.
In Christ, we wear His garments of salvation.
In Christ, we wear His robes of righteousness.

No other clothes will do.
We cannot enter Heaven without the proper clothes.
Clothes of the world cannot be worn in Heaven.
We have to have Jesus’ garments on us, which are given to us when we believe.

Heavenly garments cannot be seen with our fallen eyes.
Those garments are placed on us at salvation.
We see them in faith.
We know that in Christ we are properly dressed.

Whenever God calls us Home, we will be ready.
We will not have to change our clothes.
Jesus has dressed us properly.
On that day, we will be wearing the right outfit.