The Pants Perspective
Have you ever had a weird disappearance of something that finally re-appears somewhere else?
A recent tweet by the popular author and speaker Beth Moore, reminded me of one of those times. She was talking about a time when she got dressed in the dark, early before daylight, and later realized she had someone else’s pants on. It was reminiscent of something that happened to me about 40 years ago. A pair of my slacks had been missing for several weeks. I’d tried several times to locate them in my closet to no avail. Then one day, while hanging some newly laundered clothes, I discovered my missing slacks hanging in my husband’s closet. “There you are!” I exclaimed, holding them up with surprised delight as my little daughter stood nearby.
About a week later while talking to a friend regarding the latest trends in clothing, my daughter happily exclaimed to my friend: “Sometimes my daddy wears my mommy’s pants.” Laughing with hearty embarrassment, I realized that my little girl had assumed my husband was wearing my pants simply because they were hanging in his closet.
Naturally it’s easy to excuse a small child for incorrect assumptions, but should we be as quick to dismiss our own errant misconceptions as we sort through all the trials of life or the information and misinformation that bombards us daily?
More importantly, when it comes to wisdom and truth, who wears the pants in your family? Who has the best perspective on the truth in this upside-down culture of today? To start with, I learned early on in my marriage, to let the Good Lord (and my husband, Larry) wear the pants of wisdom in our family. We’ve both learned to let God give us His grand perspective on both the big things and everyday decisions.
Recently while on vacation, the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows where we stayed provided a view of a peaceful marina, allowing us to enjoy a unique and grand perspective. This peaceful and expansive view of both the harbor and the ocean just beyond it, came after a tumultuous year of Covid 19 restrictions, trials and medical issues for both my husband and I. So, we were ready for some respite. This blessing of beautiful rest and a gorgeous view allowed us to be still and know that God loves us. It displayed how generously He often pours out His blessings on us—blessings that are well beyond what we can imagine or deserve.
We continued to marvel at the beautiful view and how awesome our great God is. Even more, we were reminded that only God has the bigger picture of what this world is coming to and therefore we must continue to seek His wisdom and leading in everything. I also considered how making assumptions or judgements about issues in our world, based on the limited view we hear or see on TV or social media, can be deceptive. It’s easy to misconstrue truth on those limited views. Sometimes it’s what is left out of view that matters most. We all need to get a broader perspective by looking at other news networks, or should I say other “closets” of information, rather than the same ones you continue to look at hoping to find the pants to wear for that day.
Mostly, we need to go to God’s Word, and a prayer closet, to put on the wise pants of God’s leading and His perspective to guide us in life choices and moral decisions.
Have you ever had something happen that gave you a new perspective on things? Leave a comment and tell me about it!
Hi Iris, I am so blessed to have known you for all of our years. You counted them and said 43 years of friendship. Where have the years gone? One day at a time and everyone of them a blessing. We have loved, laughed, and cried through them all and remained strong. Your friendship, I should say, our friendship has blossomed and grown, and I sometimes have wondered how it came to be. Jesus played a very big part in it all, I am sure you would agree. Thank you, Jesus, for bringing us together. To love you first, and to love one another….Blessings my friend, Josie.