Black Sweaters

“‘Don’t call me Naomi,’ she told them, ‘Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.’” Ruth 1:20-21.

In the Bible there is great value placed on a person’s name. It is written that many times names were given based on their circumstances, and in some instances God changed their name because of His call on their lives. But we are more closely paralleled with Naomi, who was given a name at birth only to rename herself based upon her negative circumstances. Naomi meant ‘pleasant one, joy and delight,’ but after suffering great loss she began spiraling down in her faith. She had previously experienced great faith in a loving God who brought her favor and privilege. After her losses, every thought draped a black sweater over every garment in her mind.

It is easy to rename ourselves based on our own circumstances. When things are going well we name ourselves blessed and loved by God. When things begin to crumble and we find ourselves losing control, our thoughts become somewhat of a slow drip of despair. We think things such as I am abandoned and rejected, I am all alone, and I am joyless and hopeless. Our black sweaters become our fate instead of our colorful faith. We drape our hopelessness over every blessing that hangs in our closets.

We cannot live out our faith based on our circumstances. We must wear every thought with an array of brilliant colors. Our faith closet should show reds of hope, blues of joy and greens of anticipated blessings. We must invite Christ into our thoughts to remind us of who He says we are instead of the deafening shouts of despair. Through spending time with Christ in our minds as well as our hearts we will begin to once again see ourselves as the beautiful children of God whose wardrobe looks like a rainbow.