Let me tell you a story about how the world race really teaches you to not hold on too tightly to your earthly possessions….
One fine afternoon in Battambang, Cambodia, I’m riding my nice, hot pink bike down the street on my way home from ministry. I’m blasting my good mood toons playlist, soaking in the beautiful, Cambodian sunshine, and enjoying the never ending presence of The Lord. I’m free and content: hair blowing in the wind, rocking my favorite skirt with a great big smile on my face. Part of me was probably pretending like I was back in Champaign, biking into the cornfields at sunset without a care in the world.
And then it happened.
I’m biking across the usual busy intersection and I’m about halfway across when my bike comes to a sudden stop. I look around to see if I’ve been hit only to realize that my skirt is stuck in my bike!!!
And not just a little stuck, I’m talking wedged into the gears of my bike with absolutely no way to pull it off. Like I can’t even pedal at this point….
In the midst of all of this, I realize that my skirt is no longer fully covering me…in fact, I’ve been mooning 10 Cambodian men for the last 30 seconds….
So, I stumble off my bike and attempt to carry it across the intersection with one hand while I half cover my butt with the other…meanwhile, cars are honking at me and the cambodian men are still having a good laugh.
Then, out of nowhere, 5 little cambodian school girls come running up to me, one has a pair of scissors in hand, ready for action. She starts hacking at my skirt to break me free from my bike…
Finally, I break free only to realize the part that she cut was not a small chunk…..she straight up cut off the entire back of my skirt. So I’m standing there with basically a miniskirt on watching these lovely girls do all of the dirty work for me.
Another girl pulls out a rubber band and ties my skirt to try to save me from being completely humiliated (a significant amount of spectators have gathered at this point)….
After about 5 minutes, they finally rip the last piece of fabric free from my bike! Thankfully, they saved my bike with no significant damages. My skirt on the other hand….
During this whole process, I did absolutely nothing; those girls did it all. I was standing there laughing the whole time at how unreal the whole situation was. And I was astonished at how quick they were to help out!!! Such a refreshing change from individualist America!!
All that to say, don’t become too attached to your clothes, my friends. I don’t think at all that God planned this moment, but I do think that he used it to give me a good laugh…
That skirt was my go-to skirt for about 2 years….a classic goodwill find. It’s been around the world, across the US, to many church services and crazy worship nights.
RIP, skirtie.
January 2016 – November 2017
a lil’ glance of skirtie in action. she was a free flowing, colorful worship companion.
sad to see her life cut so short (literally)
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Matthew 6:19-21]
skirtie is gone but hey, at least I have Jesus!!!
