“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,”
~ Romans 13:14

My grandmother’s black cashmere coat has all the markings of my grandmother’s handwork. No, she didn’t make it, but she would rework dresses, blouses. She could go downtown to the department stores when downtown department stores were the place to buy clothes, come home, and create what she saw. She has been known to sew high-fashion labels from one outfit into the one she made.

In the black coat I picked up that day long ago, I don’t doubt the label at the neck of the coat is authentic, but I wonder at the one half-way down, “100 Percent Cashmere,” “Luxury Loomed by Einiger,” “Taylored by La Viema.” I don’t doubt the cashmere of it, though. She re-hemmed it, though. Her black coat is older than me–and as age reduced her height, she rehemmed her clothes. . . because back then, fine clothing was made for longevity. This man-made mantle that kept her warm on church days and bridge days symbolized the man-made mantle of her Strength for Courage.

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely, I will uphold you with my right hand.”
~ Isaiah 41:10

I am grateful for the Strength for Courage apprenticeship that taught me how to stand firm. It was a mantle worth picking up and carrying into my marriage, into my motherhood, into the local newspaper, into graduate school, into the classrooms where I taught. Learning to wield strength for courage, even if it is grown out of our own selves is better than no strength for courage at all. Yet, how I wish the faith story of the threads, skeins, linings, hemmings had been part of the apprenticeship, explaining the God-stories–and if there were no God-stories, how I wish there had been.

I wish I had learned that God is my Strength, that He His wing welcomes me to come beneath for refuge, that He fights my battles–I just have to trust Him. To know that I am not alone on the battlefield of my challenges, to know that I am a daughter of the King, to know that I am saved-not re-judged everyday and condemned for all the moments I miss it because I have not just thrown myself into my Father’s arms–He has pulled me into them. How much angst and torment would I have not wrestled in my own very limited wisdom, knowledge, and strength.

How different the walk through the first 30 years of my life would have been. Determination is a story changer, but God in the stories is a heart-of-the-story changer, an atmosphere changer, a thirst quencher in the desert seasons; indeed, a life and mind changer.

Determination cannot create a powerful mantle for a joy-filled, peace-filled, contentment-filled Strength-for-Courage legacy. The woman in the mantle has neither the stamina, the wisdom, nor the power to walk out her God-designed story without a mantle dropped in a Spirit-filled condition to be picked up by an apprentice to their mentor.

God gives us the recipe for how to build Elijah-worthy mantles.

A man-made mantle, picked up and carried onward in in the everyday ordinary, needs to be daily, sometimes hourly, sometimes minute by minute:

1) to be steeped in the praises of God,

““I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

2) lined with His word,

“‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of God.”
~ Romans 10:17

3) hemmed by His law,

 “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”
~ Matthew 22: 36-40

4) walked daily in His grace:

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.” ~ Hebrews 4:16

“After you have suffered for a little while,
the God of all grace,
who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,
will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you.”
~ 1 Peter 5:10

A man-made mantle can be redeemed by God – it requires giving it to Him for Him to remake in His own image. Then one day when it’s time to lay it down, the one who picks it up will have a mantle even more valuable to carry on in their everyday ordinary.

What mantle did you pick up and carry into your life? Who was a mentor to your apprentice? Did your mentor leave you a God-infused mantle of Strength for Courage? Or is it a patchwork quilt mantle, pieced together by Spiritual Mothers who mentored you? Is it steeped, lined, hemmed, and walked? How does your mantle wear on you today? Is it a richer mantle? How has your faith changed it? Maybe you have yet to give your man-made mantle over to God, for Him to remake just for you. It can be hard, that kind of trust, but it is worth doing – even if you give it to Him and take it back again and again, until one day, you trust Him enough to let Him do what He does because you have seen the changes He makes are the best changes.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.“
~ Isaiah 61:10

Remember Me Monday: #121 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week! (Link opens Mondays at 6 a.m.)

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
 Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends