Maxi Dresses and Masterpieces

I finally found a maxi-dress that isn’t too long for my short stature.  Maxi dresses are just sundresses, except they are exceptionally long.  My daughter has been wearing them all summer, and they look so comfy and cute on her.  Of course, she is tall and thin, and I am short and, well, more padded.  So imagine my delight when I stumbled across one that fit perfectly on sale!

But now that I have this beautiful dress, I have no idea where to wear it.  It seems silly to just wear it around the house, although Chris has expressed his desire for me to still dress nice even if I am staying at home.  And that made me wonder why we save our best and most beautiful things for guests and strangers.  We dress up to go out, we get out the china for guests, and we are courteous in our speech in front of new acquaintances. 

Sure, I want to feel like I can “be myself” when I am at home and with close family and friends.  But sometimes I think they get cheated of the best and most beautiful parts of me.  Am I as gentle and kind as I can be?  Do I make Love a way of life?

Sometimes I think a big piece of Duct tape, slapped across my mouth, would make the most charming accessory.  Those are days when I have forgotten the most important thing to wear…my new self, given to me by my Father, when I asked Him to be Lord over my life:

Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy….be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:24, 32

When I am getting dressed in the morning, do I remember to wear my “new nature”?  If I am ”being myself” and insulting or ignoring someone else’s feelings, then I have definitely forgotten to put on the most important piece of my wardrobe.

I am so thankful that my family and friends accept me even when I forget my “new nature”.  They are gracious enough to recognize that we are all works in progress, that the “new nature” is not something that transforms you immediately.  Rather, it is a life-long process of working and molding us as we slowly are transformed more and more in the image and likeness of our Father.

For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:10

I am like an oil painting.  Layer after layer is placed on my canvas, but not all at once.  Each layer must have time to dry and mature before another layer is successfully painted.  It is a long, protracted process; taking patience and time.  But my Father is the King of Patience, and Lord over Time, so He is up to the task of working on me and painting a beautiful creation in His image.

Perhaps I will wear that maxi-dress around the house, so the beauty I see covering me can remind me of the beauty God is working to create within me.