Treasures In The Dust

Little kids just love playing dress up.  Princess Buttercup spent many hours dressing up and trying on all the different outfits she received in her dress up trunk when she turned three.   Her twin brother didn’t get into it so much, but eventually did start trying on our shoes, or wearing Daddy’s hat.

Autism has a way of delaying some of the more dramatic childhood play.

Sometimes, siblings with autism need a little help from a big sister!

But, as they get old, they start to get the hang of it… It’s kinda fun to put on someone else’s face!

Time will tell, but I am pretty sure Princess Buttercup is going to have a bit of fun dressing up her baby sister when she arrives. She may even try to dress her up as herself!

Dressing up has always been a favorite activity for children.  It’s so much fun to pretend you are someone else.  But, it’s not just an activity for little children.

Back in Biblical times, Jonathan (King Saul’s son) even traded outfits with David (1 Sam 18), then a shephard boy.  Jonathan took his royal outfit off, and gave it to David to wear.  Jonathan then put on the clothes that David had on–probably smelly from hanging out with the sheep.  It was Jonathans’ way of saying that “I will become what you are, and you will become what I am, with the result that our souls are knit together as one.” (Beth Moore, A Womans Heart, p 60.)  Jonathan wanted David to have everything he had, and to give him that, he took on all that David was.   Sound familiar?  I don’t know how I ever passed this by before when reading this story!

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21

How wonderful is that?  God plays dress up too–although it isn’t just play… it’s for eternity!  He clothes us with salvation and righteousness from Jesus, while Jesus puts on our clothes, our sin. He gives us a crown of beauty, while Jesus wears a crown of thorns. Thinking about this, how Jesus traded places with us to save us, inspired a poem. It is a sequel to a poem I posted earlier, Garments, Mirrors, and Beauty In that poem I am looking in a mirror, seeing who God has made me to be: I’m dressed in new royal clothes, garments of praise and righteousness, with a crown of beauty on my head. In this new poem, I am still looking in the mirror, but I see past my own reflection, to that of Christ’s. Here it is:

Trading Places

Catching a glimpse of His reflection
I turn around to see
The crown on his head
His blood trickling down
The price that set me free

The scars on his hands
His clothes dirty & torn
For this task He was born

My pain on His face
My sin is His robe
My hurts on Him unfold

I gaze on His face
Amazed at His grace
His passion shining through

Deep love in His eyes
He heard every cry
As my life He bravely rescued

He took it all and healed my soul
He traded places with me
With love ordained from Heaven above
Determined to set me free!

He died on that cross
His life He lost
Paid the ransom due

He rose again
And conquered death
Defeated all sin too

Once and for all
His children He’s saved
Dressed in His clothes, redeemed, washed clean

That we would be

always together

On earth and in Heaven
His Bride for Eternity.