I would be the first to admit that I am not the most fashionable of people. Throughout my life, I have lacked both the resources and desire to keep up with the swirling vortex of ever-changing trends. While I may not stay in style, I do have a style all my own. One way this style is expressed is through my diverse collection of shoes. Many of my selections have been described as eccentric, extra, or for those who are maybe a little less delicate, obnoxious. Honestly, it’s not an altogether inaccurate assessment.
My favorite pair of shoes is a purple and gold pair of Lebron’s that I lovingly call my Air Easter Egg’s. Both shoes have the same colors in them, but not in the same places. The right shoe is white on the toes, purple on the sides of the foot, with yellow on the tongue, white on the ankle, and black laces. The left shoe is black on the toes, yellow on the sides, with white on the tongue, purple on the ankle and white laces. Each shoe has purple, pink, and white accents throughout.
“You can pull off anything you’re willing to put on.”
People often comment when they see me wearing these shoes, usually sharing some variation of the following phrase: “I could never pull that off.” Invariably, I respond with my personal attire motto, “You can pull off anything you’re willing to put on.” The motto has two intended meanings. The literal meaning is if you don’t like the way something looks when you put it on, you don’t have to leave it on. If you don’t like it, you can choose to pull it off of your body and wear something else. The figurative meaning is that if you’re willing to wear it, you can. Style is predicated on the choice to persevere in a pattern of dress based on personal preference. In either case, we have a choice to make.
I think the same can be said concerning many of the burdens we choose to bear. We carry them because we continue to pick them up, put them on, and wear them around wherever we go. Whether we want to bear them or not matters much less than what we choose to do with them. But, you can pull off anything you’re willing to put on. You can choose to strain and stress as you push through the discomfort and difficulty it creates or you can put them down.
I understand that this is, perhaps, a bit overly simplistic. Some of the burdens we bear are deeply seated. In some cases, we didn’t choose to put them on at all; They were imposed upon us. But, the choice of what we do with those burdens as we move on is always partially on us. Or, you can choose to pull it off, put it down, and pick up something fitting and favorable for the life you hope to live.
Jesus is inviting us to take off and put down our sins and put on forgiveness and redemption. He is inviting us to take off and put down the judgments and condemnation of others and to put on His grace and compassion.
The good news of the gospel of Jesus is that he offers us assistance in this area. In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus takes things a step further. He invites us to not only take off and put down our burdens, but to pick up and put on what He has to offer. He is inviting us to take off and put down our sins and put on forgiveness and redemption. He is inviting us to take off and put down the judgments and condemnation of others and to put on His grace and compassion. He is inviting us to take off and put down our hurts, habits, and hang-ups and to put on the freedom and full-life that comes by grace through faith in Christ alone.
You can pull off anything you’re willing to put on. When it comes to your clothing choices, by all means rock what you’ve got and what you enjoy. For me, that means brightly colored and mismatched shoes. When it comes to your burdens, find the courage and strength to trust Jesus. Pull those burdens off, daily if necessary, place them at the feet of Jesus, and pick up the hope of the gospel. It may not be your style, but it is certainly what you need.
