By Ashlie Miller

Convincing a child to wear a coat in the South is no easy task, especially on a cold but sunny day. Persuading a child to keep up with their coat while at school or co-op is nearly impossible! Hoodies and jackets fill the lost and found box or closet. Many organized mothers with foresight carefully label the inside of their child’s jacket. Those of us who collect hand-me-downs may have a label of a friend (or even a stranger) inside our jackets.

Joseph from the Old Testament in the Bible often could not keep up with his robes and garments. You may remember him as Joseph and the coat of many colors. His many brothers loathed that cloak and hated this favorite son of Jacob. When the opportunity arose, these brothers maliciously sold him into slavery to a caravan of merchants, tore his coat, dipped it in blood, and deceived their father about Joseph’s whereabouts.

Later, while serving in Potiphar’s household, the trusted and again favored servant, Joseph, is set up by the wife of the house, longing to have an affair with him. In the act of escaping her clutches, he leaves his garment in her hands — another opportunity for deception lying in the hands of Joseph’s enemy.

The first garment revealed Joseph’s identity as the favorite son. His later garment revealed his identity as a trusted servant. In both cases, the cloak was taken from him, yet his true identity and integrity remained intact.

Upon salvation, Christians “put on a new self” (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10); we are transformed from the old to the new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ clothes us in His righteousness, an identity we willingly embrace at salvation, even if we struggle later to think it is up to us to keep it on through our own merits. Isaiah 64:6-7 tells us that our best efforts towards righteousness (being made right with God) are like filthy rags. It reminds me of the times I let my children choose their clothing for an outing, and they come out with their stained play clothes, thinking they have made a lovely choice. It just will not do.

Thankfully, Isaiah 61:10 shows us the great love of our Messiah, clothing us in “garments of salvation…covered with the robe of righteousness.” Since perfect righteousness is the requirement for salvation (which we are inept at producing and maintaining), we hold fast to the promise of John 10:28-30 that Christ gives us eternal life. No one can pluck Christians out of God’s hand. Better than not losing your coat at school, we have a sealed identity wrapped in something no one can take. Though we may stumble and fall, our repentance reveals that His righteousness remains.

I am so grateful I do not have to keep up with my eternal “coat” myself. Christ has set His name on it and keeps up with it for me! His love is so great that I want to live purely for Him, not to stain my garment intentionally, but even when I fail, He keeps it spotless in His eyes.

Ashlie Miller sorts through coats for five children, sometimes finding jackets belonging to other children. Thankfully her husband, Chad, is type A and does a good job of hanging up his jackets.