The Handwriting on the Wall

Please note:  The following reference to Mike Shanahan in no way reflects his character or faith.  It is used only for the sake of comparison. 

And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.

—Psalm 25:9-10 

If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times. “The handwriting was on the wall.” This is how reporters referred to the firing of Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on Black Monday, the day following the final game of the regular season—the day after his team completed a 3-13 record.

“The handwriting was on the wall.” With a four-season record of 24-40 and rumors flying around about Shanahan’s demise, the coach’s firing came as no surprise to most of the team’s followers.

“The handwriting was on the wall” is a familiar idiom used to mean there were obvious warning signals.  For Shanahan, the numbers on the wall—the scoreboard—were his warnings.

The Christmas Coat

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

—Ephesians 4:11-12

I spotted it when pulling my winter clothes from my cedar chest—the minuscule red coat trimmed in white.  Would this fit Layla? I wondered, as I examined the aged garment I wore when I was six months old.

I knew I had to try.

I placed the freshly-laundered cloak on the bed and then my squirmy six month-old granddaughter on top. With no more than a slight struggle, I maneuvered her chubby arms into the sleeves and crowned her with the rosy hood, its fuzzy white edging encircling her cherubic face like a halo. I tightened the hood strings and lifted her up for the final reveal.

The hand-me-down Christmas coat was a picture-perfect fit!

I love hand-me-downs—and don’t mind wearing them.  I remember, as a kid, sporting hand-me-downs from my older cousins and thinking I was “cool” just like them. And then there was my mother’s wedding dress. It too was a perfect fit.  Hand-me-downs saved me money, yes. But it was more than that.  Wearing them meant wearing a part of the giver.