Well-Suited (Eph. 6)

I had a unique opportunity this weekend to watch a friend open her bee hives and to take some pictures. In order to do this without getting stung, I had to be up close and personal with the bees, which meant I needed to take some precautions. First, having already been around people and having put scent on that morning, I came home and carefully scrubbed clean, even rewashing my hair with a product with no strong scent, making sure not to apply anything when I got ready again. I had also consulted Carol about what to wear, and she told me to make sure to wear light colored pants as bees do not like dark colors—I carefully selected the lightest colored pair of pants I own that were tight fitting at the bottom. I also carefully pulled up my socks and made sure I had sturdy shoes on that were tightly tied. Then, when I arrived at her house, she had me pull on her spare bee-keeping suit on the upper half of my body.  She cinched down the bottom parts making sure it fit snugly against my pants, and I tightly cinched the arms down over my wrists and pulled on gloves over them, making sure there was no path of entry there. I also zipped up the top zipper as high as it would go. The last thing I did before we walked too close to the bees was to get Carol’s assistance in pulling on the hat and mesh netting. She carefully secured it to the special shirt I was wearing so that no bees would slip in while we were near the hives.

Fortunately, having taken all these precautions, I can report that I was not stung during this process. Did bees swarm near my head and land on my shirt and upper body? Yes. Was it disconcerting for this newbie? Definitely. I was in the bees’ space while they were being disturbed; thus, it only made sense to prepare adequately. However, I had done everything I could in preparation: I had consulted my friend about how to approach her bees. I had received her assistance, listening and heeding the warnings. I had allowed her to suit me up and followed her directions. 

My friend told me that the following day she was stung when a stray bee crawled up her pants leg and planted a stinger all the way at the top when she was unsuccessful in getting it out. Being suited up is a wise precaution that made me feel very secure and confident while being close to the hives taking pictures, but it didn’t mean that I couldn’t be stung—that was a risk I knew I was taking when I agreed to go with her.

The day following this experience, I had a fly-by thought as I was getting ready for church. I had told someone the previous day that I wasn’t scared because I had the bee suit on. This thought landed and made a connection: I should wear my trust in Jesus like I wore the bee suit, knowing that I am as prepared as I can get for what is to come but totally understanding that the pain of a bee sting was a distinct possibility and being mentally prepared for it. This shoot is a good analogy for my Christian walk. I receive the gift of eternal life (like I received the gift of the opportunity to go from my friend). I learn all I can about the Father and the Son and the Spirit through the Word, making sure to "suit up" daily, to be prepared for what might come. I am obedient to the Word I understand, and when I am not there are consequences (just as I was obedient to Carol's directions lest I get stung). And sometimes, like with Job in the Bible, things happen that I don't understand but better be prepared for (like Carol's sting the following day). 

So often, “we” as Christians forget; we get lax, lazy. We forget to suit up, to put on our armor daily, to listen to the Words of our Lord like we were going to face angry bees disturbed by the things in their world because we are: 

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:10-17, NASB)

If only we could see our battles coming at us like we can see and hear bees, but alas we cannot. All the more reason to suit up carefully on a daily basis as we walk through this world.

We forget to have confidence in Christ:  “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 Jn. 5:11-12). Ultimately, our hope isn’t in anything here in this world—our hope is in Christ, whose blood was shed for us, in Christ, our high priest—"Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us" (Rom. 8:34). 

We forget to trust God with everything we are at all times: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6). Instead, we listen to the world, which encourages us to follow our hearts and forge a new path leading who knows where but certainly not to the Father.

We forget to pray in faith to our Father in heaven in the name of Jesus: “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be made full” (Jn. 16:24), and “with every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints" (Eph. 6:18).  This is not a genie in a bottle kind of praying but praying with understanding what the will of the Father is for us. Psalm 143:10 gives us good direction: "Teach me to do Your will for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Much of doing God's will is to simply walk in obedience to His Word.

We forget that we have victory in Christ: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). The temptations to sin, to stray from the path, will come, but we can be prepared for them knowing that God is faithful no matter what we face, no matter how limited our understanding of it is right now. 

We forget that our salvation is not by works, but by grace: “For by grace you were saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Sometimes, we compare ourselves to the world around us, but Christianity is not a faith of relativism. All have fallen short (that means me); all have sinned, and the wages of that sin is death (Rom. 6:23).  I am not to compare myself to someone having a bad day so I can feel better about my walk. I am to understand that Christ is the standard, and he alone paid the price for my sins while I was still a sinner (Rom. 5:8). He alone redeemed me. It was a gift I could not earn—I did nothing in righteousness but was simply washed by His blood and was/am being renewed by His Spirit (Titus 3:5). Apart from Christ and His free gift of salvation, I would someday die and face a different kind of judgment for my sin (Heb. 9:27). 

Finally, Hebrews 11:1 says this: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). I placed my faith in my friend’s knowledge and ability and her borrowed suit when I went to take pictures of her (nice) bees, but that cannot and does not ultimately negate my ultimate trust in Christ and His will and His plan for my life. I must never forget to wear my trust in Him at all times in any situation I face at whatever cost. This is the ultimate “suiting up,” the summation of my faith as I walk through this temporary world that offers no assurances at all, much less one that compares to the future and hope I have in Christ (Col. 1:27). 

I must be well suited in order to face each second of every minute of every hour of every day here on this planet!