Invincible Suits

Photo by Paul Venturo

“Ouch!” My elbow hits the counter. My leg knocks something off the shelf. I pull and strain. By the time I get the neoprene over my knees, I am breathless and sweating. I take a break and continue to yank and stretch and contort. Maybe I should cut back on the carbs, I think to myself. I work my arms in. I grab the rubbery gasket, and the static electricity crackles as I pull it over my head. I look in the mirror. Phew! I thought I tore off my ears! My hair is sticking up in every direction, and some is clinging to my face. Zip. Snap. Wriggle here, adjust there. And now . . . I am INVINCIBLE.

I come out and meet Kelly and we laugh. We both look like frogs in our wetsuits - our “invincible suits,” as we call them. We hurry through the dunes and down over the sand and begin to run along the edge of the water, warming our bodies and working up the courage to dash into the cold surf.

Finally, we are ready. With a shout of defiance we tear through the shallow water and smash through the waves. The first dousing of icy water shocks us, but then we begin to warm up. The wetsuits are designed to trap water close to the skin where it will be warmed by our body heat. It is exhilarating to be in this wild, frigid water and be impervious to the cold. We dive under waves. We glide up over the swell. Every few waves there is a larger one and we shout, “Take it! Take it!” and we ride it all the way in until we roll onto the sand. Only the sand doesn’t hurt us either, because of our suits.

We stay in the water until we are so tired we can barely swim anymore. Then, regretfully, we ride the last wave and run back to clean up. We peel off our wetsuits and put warm clothes on. We are our regular selves once again. We are no longer invincible. Until next time . . .

 Our bare skin could never be in that cold water for more than a minute. The sand would tear it, the sun would burn it, the wind would buffet it. No, we would not go out in those conditions unless we had our “invincible suits”.

Yet how often do we go out with our soft, vulnerable selves exposed? I am talking, of course, not about our physical flesh, but about our hearts. How often do we go about the day, surrounded by temptation from within and without, plagued by fear and anxiety and depression, and we don’t even remember that we have an “invincible suit” at our disposal?

Read Ephesians 6:10-18 to discover the qualities of this suit. You think a wetsuit is cool, with its ability to shield you from the cold, wind, and sand? This suit contains a shield that can protect you from fiery darts of Satan. Pretty impressive! It comes with a sword that can pierce through soul and spirit and determine the motives of your heart. You’ll have to read the full list of features yourself, but if you are a follower of Jesus, you are definitely going to want to suit up every day, as soon as possible. Because you have an enemy who wants to devour you, and this suit will help you stand against him (Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 5:8).

God has provided an “invincible suit” for His children. Are you wearing yours?