Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. (Ephesians 6:14)
When our son graduated from Marine Corps Boot Camp, we were fortunate to get to attend his graduation. While I was there, I observed something I’d never noticed before. The majority of the parents there to cheer on their sons were overweight.
As I caught sight of our soon-to-be-a-Marine, running in cadence with his platoon and without apparent effort, I made myself a promise. If he could make this kind of a sacrifice and work this hard, the least I could do was lose a few pounds.
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Fast forward a year. Our son was deployed, and I’d lost a great deal of weight. During the journey of getting into shape, I’d been reluctant to replace certain items in my wardrobe—namely pants—until my weight-loss journey was complete. I could buy new skirts because they were fairly easy to alter, so I could wear them through several size changes. But altering pants is tough. Because of that, most of my pants were pretty ill-fitting, and I defaulted to wearing a belt to hold them in place.
My belt had become foundational to getting dressed. Without it nothing worked.
I had to sink to my knees the morning the parallel between that Scripture and my life hit me. My life is the exact same way as my pants—ill-fitting and uncomfortable—until I cinch everything in place with the belt of truth. God’s truth makes sense out of the craziness of life—even the insanity of having a son at war. It gives context to the things that seem random and meaningless.
I still don’t know all the answers, but I know the One who does. And that knowledge gives me peace and comfort, even in the midst of fear and pain.
