Day 6: Truth and Righteousness

The belt and breastplate were the protective body armor of an ancient soldier. They were a familiar sight in Biblical times, but modern-day humans don’t think about them the same way.

How can truth and righteousness protect you in the spiritual battle?

Consider this artwork.

This mixed media piece—grace—was created by artist Christine Armfield, who writes:

Grace is a healing agent that refuses to capitalize on our vulnerability to tell the story about our identity. Grace sees the potential in the healing process including the beauty in the scars.

Layer upon layer forms a textured story of dreams, hopes and plans, brokenness, foiled plans, and ashes painted underneath, symbolizing the textured vulnerable story of our soul as we battle for truth. Battles won and battles lost and how we truly treat these times in our lives if we are completely honest. The last battle is to receive grace.

The metaphor this artist is using for truth is layers of “stuff”—physically, ashes and small objects, but symbolically all the forms of brokenness we encounter. This is the ugly truth. The vulnerable truth. The truth that embodies all our flaws. How do we move from witnessing this unvarnished truth about ourselves to the righteousness offered by God?

Coats of white paint have been poured over this piece to symbolize how grace handles the broken places in us much differently than we would ever expect. Grace is so lavish we can't help to feel "I don't deserve this" until we are truly able to surrender to the process . . . then grace begins to tell our battle story from a different perspective . . .with such love and kindness, and with power that profoundly changes us.

Can accepting the fullness of our brokenness be the truth (and humility) that prepares us for spiritual battle?

Can God’s love and grace bring us into a righteousness that transforms our relationships and perspective?