Clothing That Should NEVER Be Taken Off

[Timl1980]

Believe it or not, my friends...I have "streaked".

 

Perhaps you know what I'm referring to...that fine worldly tradition of a man or woman throwing inhibition, caution and all restraint to the wind as they strip down buck naked and run screaming across a field packed full of spectators, head thrown back in shameless glory...until they are unceremoniously tackled by 6 security guards and hauled off to jail.

 

Yes...I too have been in that position, although my story might be a bit different from theirs. 

 

Believe it or not...even though my "clothing" may have been different...our shame was the same...our reasons, for the most part...actually aligned with each other.

 

Would you like to know more?

 

Would you like to know how...once again...your fellow brother put himself in a position that needed a moment of serious adjustment?

 

Please follow along, then...as I tell you the true story of a fool...and the hill he died on.

 

The story is short...I was hurt...I was angry...and I was bound and determined to make the person who had brought me to that point...PAY FOR THEIR SINS!!

 

Someone in the congregation had hurt me...badly. And...to make matters worse...they did it on purpose!!

 

And...as if to add insult to injury...they did it again...and again...and AGAIN.

 

I was incandescent with rage...my brain was working on overtime with hundreds of schemes and plots to get even...to make that one person know how badly they had injured me. 

 

No offense, my dear brothers and sisters...but screw being a brother...I WAS THE AVENGER!!

 

I planned it out for weeks...I knew my opportunity would come...I simply had to wait...to be patient.

 

My mind was full of justifications..."eye for an eye...tooth for a tooth"...this person had ripped out my whole mouth...and they would PAY!!

 

Sound familiar?

 

I hope not...because to be quite blunt...never would I want any of you to be in the same spot I found myself in that day.

 

The day came...and I was ready.

 

What happened? 

 

Without going into detail...I got my revenge...I made that person look like an absolute fool. They were humiliated...and what was even sweeter...they knew it came from me.

 

And then, my friends...then an 82-year-old brother approached me privately and asked me to join him for a cup of coffee at a local coffee house.

 

I drove us over there in silence...and we drank coffee and ate oversized Blueberry muffins in silence...until finally, after 15 minutes, I decided to make a little bit of awkward conversation...telling him that I had appreciated his comment last Sunday at the meeting.

 

He just watched me, his blue eyes boring straight into my own.

 

"Tim... I've known you all your life." He said finally, ignoring my comment. "This is the first time I've ever seen you naked."

 

Imagine my face, my dear brothers and sisters.

 

Embarrassed? 

 

I was absolutely stunned...confused...and frankly...suddenly I felt extremely exposed...although I didn't understand why...not at the time. 

 

"Wha....?" (At least, that's what I remember saying, maybe I stuttered a bit as well.)

 

Reaching into his bookbag...he pulled out his Bible and flipped through the pages until he had found the verses he was looking for...and then he plopped the Bible down in front of me and asked me to read the following scriptures:

 

Colossians 3:12-14: "Accordingly, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, and patience.13 Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same.14 But besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union."

 

Finishing...I glanced over at him and suddenly felt very very ashamed...even though I didn't fully understand what he was getting at.

 

"Very nice verses...thank you for showing them to me." I said lamely, my eyes shifting from him to the Bible.

 

"Why do you think Paul used the words, "clothe yourselves"? " He asked, his voice calm and steady...his shaky fingers pointing down at the words on the page.

 

"I...I don't know...we need to put them on like we do our clothes...right?" I asked, hoping I was right.

 

"Paul knew what he was saying, Tim." He said, filmy blue eyes locked on mine. "He used those words on purpose...he knew that we are all imperfect...he understood that, at some point...all of us would take off our clothes and reveal what's underneath. Do you know what that is, Tim?"

 

I just shook my head at this point...knowing I had been caught out...and knowing I was definitely in trouble.

 

"Flesh, Tim. Ugly naked flesh...that's what's underneath. Jehovah knows we can't keep this clothing on all the time...he knows all of us will end up exposing our ugly naked flesh from time to time." He paused, and I could tell this older brother was seeing straight through me...and he was disappointed.

 

"He deserved it..." I said finally, defiantly. 

 

"Is that how Jehovah feels?" He asked simply, finishing his last bit of muffin with a long swallow of coffee. "I think I'll go home now, Tim. Thanks for taking me out, I really enjoyed it."

 

Brothers...and to all my dear sisters reading this...it wasn't until years later that I finally realized what this dear brother was actually saying to me that chilly autumn day...and even though I might not remember every word correctly...the one thing I do remember...the one comment that has stuck with me for all these years is:

 

"This is the first time I've ever seen you naked."

 

That day...I was a streaker...the same as any defiant man or woman looking to prove a point who bares it all and runs screaming across an open field...head thrown back in a state of utter and open defiance of society and all its rules.

 

My dear friends...it is now my goal never to be seen naked again in that sense...because it brings nothing but shame and sorrow to all involved. 

 

So please...learn from my poor past decision...never take off the clothing Jehovah supplies. 

 

But we're imperfect...so if you do...please, for the sake of all your fellow brothers and sisters...please just take off a shirt or a pair of trousers...please don't get naked...it's not pretty...and that's just the plain truth.

[Mike047]

Thanks for 'baring all' for us, Tim. A great lesson, that many of us understand, and are still checking our clothing.

[Witness1970]

Nice illustration.

[Ahuvah]

Oh Goodness me!!!! 😅🫠 I was wondering where this was going initially... but you've tied it to a very powerful, memorable illustration... i like you've been brave enough to turn your extreme  actions and emotions into something we can  all learn from thank you. 

 

After all many in the scriptures were even more extreme and frankly some of their actions you scratch your head at, yet they changed their hearts and thought processes and became fine examples of faith, just like you. 

 

 

Edited September 1 by Ahuvah

[Naruwa]

A powerful lesson brother, but i hope this wasn’t the end of the story and you were able to reconnect with this person like Paul and Barnabus and Mark. 

[Timl1980]

3 hours ago, Naruwa said:

but i hope this wasn’t the end of the story and you were able to reconnect with this person like Paul and Barnabus and Mark. 

 

Thankfully, yes. I was able to approach the person and apologize during a very frank and open chat, and things were smoothed over. Oddly enough, we became very good friends, and have stayed friends since.

[tekmantwo]

43 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

Oddly enough

Nothing odd about that at all.....that's how it's supposed to be...

[Timl1980]

1 minute ago, tekmantwo said:

Nothing odd about that at all.....that's how it's supposed to be...

 

True, very true.

 

I was simply thinking about the fact that we both still have leftover dregs of those same personality traits to this day, and yet we've drawn closer over the years in spite of that.

 

We could have used that fact and weaponized it against each other, but once we hammered out the details and understood each other's side of the issues... it's never really been an issue since.

[Mike047]

Does anyone have a spare birthday suit?