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Today’s Look into the Closet of Exchange:

This side of the closet is hard for me. I do not like to be trapped inside dark pits where light is nowhere to be found, and I don’t like crying, sniffling, or ugly sobs. But I do like the fact that our God is faithful to bring us through the valleys of those shadows. I do like the thought of joyful dancing. Like you, I too have experienced times when I could not hear the music, let alone dance.

I held onto the promise of Psalm 30:11 during a very, very long period of grief. I even experienced a come-to-Jesus moment, in which I told Jesus I thought this darkness had gone on for far too long. In fact, I remember the afternoon in which the Lord told me to take off my “sweater of grief” and hang it inside my closet of exchange. That sweater of grief truly had been all I had worn during those twenty months following my husband’s sudden death. I heard life all around me but couldn’t participate. I trusted God to always be present, and He was—and is, yet I was emotionally hurting and bleeding so badly that my sweater of grief felt like my only friend. Have you ever been there?

Slowly, I began to hear the music again. I wanted to dance. Then I realized that when He had told me to remove that sweater, He had already hung new clothes for me to wear. He promised I would never be required to forget the loving person who was no longer beside me, and it was time to put on my new clothes. He had replaced the lifeless, black and gray clothes with colorful pieces. These clothes brought smiles to my face and helped me see others, too. These clothes brought joy, laughter, and friendship.

He has already promised and is ready to do that for you. Take Him at His Word; I promise He is trustworthy and faithful!

Today’s Life Exchange:

1. Do you have a side of your closet that’s filled with lifeless sweaters of grief, like my closet once had?

2. Do you continue to wear old garments (addiction, grief, anger, etc.) though you want to remove them?

3. What new designer garments has the Lord made for you (confidence, compassion, joy, etc.)?