Divine Disguise
January 2013
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. – Romans 8:19
The commercial immediately captured my attention. I stood motionless over the sink full of dinner dishes I’d been tending to so that I could pay full attention. The clanging of glasses and heavy rush of hot water that had been streaming from the faucet were a distraction. So, I stopped moving the dishes and turned off the spigot because this. . .this I wanted to see.
A svelte woman clothed in an eye catching running outfit strode in and out of neighborhood streets. She looked like a gazelle – the perfect combination of strength, power and gracefulness. Dignified music with a Chariots-of-Fire type impact bellowed in the background providing a stealth soundtrack for her disciplined display of exercise. Her neatly coifed ponytail bounced in step with each of her pavement pounding strides while a few stray hairs whipped against the current of the morning wind. The beaded glisten on her forehead collected into a single tear of sweat that dramatically ran down her temple towards her chiseled jaw line. Her expression was penetrating. There was no smile and no menacing frown. Just the certain look of determination. She wasn’t gasping desperately for air as if this was her first jog in decades. She was a seasoned runner; powerful, strong and sure of herself. Her feminine legs and arms were defined and brawny. Indeed, she was a sight to behold.
Lean. Swift. Athletic. Beautiful.
The advertisement hadn’t been coupled with a lot of distracting verbiage. There was only the music. . . and her…and it was enough. I was spellbound.
Near the very end, when I was leaning forward on the edge of my seat waiting to discover what this was all about, a deep, tenor voice bellowed out with passion:
“There’s an athlete among us . . . disguised as a wife and a mother.
Nike. . . .just do it.”
My rubber glove clad hands were still plunged beneath the soapy water but I’d completely forgotten about them and the unfinished dishes. I felt something in me leap and resonate with the woman I’d been admiring on the screen. I was a wife and mother just like her but she was also something more – something deeper that had been veiled by the rhythms of her regular life. Her image on the screen made me feel like there was personal potential I hadn’t tapped into. The marketing team at the Nike Corporation had done its job. I was inspired. Suddenly the chariots-of-fire music was roaring in my own head as my imagination took me out of the kitchen and onto my own neighborhood streets. I saw the usual short, staccato steps that marked my normal jog exchanged for a long and lean gallop that would cause people to admire my athleticism. I’d have the same fierce determined expression of this gorgeous woman. My hair would bounce just like that and my forehead would glisten like this. I’d exchange my rumpled old t-shirt and worn shorts for a pristine and brightly colored jogging suit with that familiar and fashionable “Nike” symbol set on the right shoulder. I’d be muscular, defined and strong. I’d be able to run miles at a fast pace without gasping for air once. I’d no longer have to stop and walk to catch my breath. No, not me.
I was the woman in the commercial. . . an athlete who had just been disguised as a wife and a mother.
You, my friend, have been disguised. What’s your occupation? What do you do everyday? How do you define yourself?
Are you:
A wife
A mother
An executive
A manager
A single woman
A ministry director
A friend
A widow
A grandmother
This is not who you are. It’s only your divine disguise. Really, underneath it all, you are a Christ-follower who is filled with the very power and presence of God. You are a holy priesthood who has been redeemed, set free, empowered and gifted to fulfill the purposes of God on the earth. You are not just a woman – who works or manages or loves or gives or plans or executes or prepares – you are a gift to the planet given by the God of the universe to participate with Him in His plans. Beneath the veneer of your every day life, there is a treasure to be unveiled.
. . and the treasure is you.
All of creation is waiting for you to be revealed. Never let your daily activity veil the reality of your calling to manifest Christ to the world. Your collegues, friends, relatives, spouse and children are sitting on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the unveiling of God’s daughters. They want to witness the power of God in us, be exposed to His Spirit operating through us and experience His grace from us.
So, hear His love song ringing in your head and be inspired in this new year to come forth and be seen for who you truly are.
