For reasons that I still wonder about, my parents gifted me though their DNA with wrists that are larger than the norm. Candidly nobody noticed this growing up, including me. Looking back, there was a early warning but everyone ignored the sign, presuming that it was simply the result of my carelessness.
The warning sign was the relatively short amount of time it took for the cuffs on my long sleeve shirts to start fraying. For me, starting at a fairly young age, it was measured in weeks. I was always excited by the prospect of new clothes. It was fun and exciting to wear them. The one negative was that I was hard on them. I never understood why nice dress shirts meant that you could not work on cars! I failed to grasp the need to keep my ties tied, buttons fastened, or place a cloth napkin in front of my shirt when I at a wet, dripping, main dish. Clothes were good but they were meant for use.
In this context, when my long sleeve shirt cuffs started to fray, I was naturally held responsible. The first time I was measured for a bespoke shirt in Singapore the tailor turned and asked me if I realized that my wrists were large for my size.
“What are you talking about?”
“Do your shirts fray at the cuff?”
“How did you know?”
“You wrists are larger than the standard measurements. As a result, the metal band on your watch rubs the cloth, leading it to fray.”
“What should I do?”
“Nothing, it is who you are. I can tailor your shirts to accommodate.”
I keep thinking that I need to do something before God’s embrace. David reminds me that God is already acting; “God rules: he brings this one down to his knees, pulls that one up on her feet.” (Psalm 75.7) Encounters with God are tailored to the individual and the situation. What happens next is up for us. I find lessons to be learned, hope to be embraced, and wonders to be enjoyed.
