I bought a new coat recently. It is smart and expensive-looking, and I
feel good wearing it. We don’t have the income right now to buy nice
clothes, so this coat is a treat. When I wear it, I walk with my head
held high, and I think I stride slightly too. My new coat says, ‘I mean
business’, ‘Don’t mess with me’, ‘I am important’. The funny thing is, I
bought it in a charity shop!
Thinking about how important my coat makes me feel reminded me of
someone in the Bible who had a new coat and felt the same way – Joseph.
I can totally understand where he was coming from. His new coat got him
into a lot of trouble, or rather, the bad attitude that was revealed
when he was wearing the coat got him into trouble.
Joseph changed when he got his coat. It made him feel like he was
somebody. He became boastful, and the coat released him to express the
pride that was growing in his heart. My reaction to my coat has made me
wonder what’s in my heart too.
My coat has revealed to me that deep down I would love to have a good
job with a nice salary so I can strut down the street in swanky clothes
that say ‘I am powerful, important; someone to be taken seriously.’ It
has shown me that people with nice clothes and good jobs command my
respect, and when I walk down the street in my less-than-smart
hand-me-down clothes, I basically feel like no-one special. My coat
revealed my heart to me: I judge by the outside appearance; my sense of
worth is attached to wealth as a sign of achievement; I rely on
something other than God to make me feel good about myself; and the list
goes on….
The lesson of the coat for me has been about how external factors can
reveal the secrets of your heart. I have learnt that my value as a human
being isn’t quite as God-centred as it could be, so I have repented and
am now more aware of how I construct my value system.
I wonder what external factors in your life are revealing what’s in your
heart? It’s amazing how a little trigger like a new coat can open a
doorway for those secret thoughts, attitudes and feelings to reveal
themselves that have previously lain hidden beneath the surface. Let’s
not be afraid to let the Lord use the every day things in life to
examine our hearts and put us right. As David wrote in Psalm 139:23&24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
by Jo Parkins
