Belt of TRUTH (Warrior Wednesday #2)

My precious daughter and her equally adorable teammates took softball pictures this spring, and they are the cutest dang pictures I have ever seen.  All these 7-8 year-old angels, dolled up and in their uniforms, are just a sight to see!

My VERY favorite picture in the set is their game-on, serious shot, with black smudges under their eyes, and no smiles allowed.  Part of the reason I liked that particular picture is that the girls, all the parents, and the photographer worked so very hard to capture it.  At least one girl would smile or giggle every time.  But when that last photo was taken, they looked like a group who meant business-- gear at the ready and winning on their minds.  
Much like these young ladies, we have to get our gear on, and be ready to face the battle with fierce focus.
It's Warrior Wednesday, and, as promised, we are going to look a little closer at Ephesians 6:10-20, the "whole armor of God".

Today let's look at the first part of verse 14-- the BELT.
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."(NIV)
Reflecting again on my little ball player, I remember the belt that went to her uniform.  Funny, the thing was totally useless.  Oh, it was part of the uniform, totally cute, and fine for others, but for my girl, it became more of a burden.  Why? It wasn't about truth.  She's so tiny but tall, that the only softball pants that came near fitting had elastic in the waistband and no belt loops.  That pretty yellow belt became more of a nuisance to her, as she fought to keep it in place the whole game.  Last few games, my husband instructed her to lose the belt.  He had strong opinions about this needless thing keeping her mind off her game.
Even now, that useless yellow belt makes me think about what a belt is supposed to be and why Paul used it as the symbol for TRUTH.  We may have to think back to Paul's time when a belt was not just an accessory to bring an outfit together aesthetically.  

Originally, a belt was truly for holding up a person's pants or other bottoms.  Think about this: in battle, a soldier can't fight while using one hand to hold up his pants and the other to hold onto his weapon.  That's ridiculous!  A belt holds up your pants, not only to keep your hands free but also keeping you from being embarrassed by showing your behind, literally.
Likewise a belt is useful to hold onto many tools, a weapon, a canteen, even a cell phone.  On stage, playing music, my husband uses his BELT pack to send his guitar signal to an amp so he can move around instead of being tethered by a chord to one spot.  

Ok, so how does all this relate to the TRUTH spiritually?  Here's my take: The BELT of TRUTH is the actual Word of God in us, on which we hang all that we need.  The TRUTH holds up our pants, so to speak, keeping us from being embarrassed.   People can argue with the TRUTH, but in the end it's still the TRUTH.  It holds up.  Wrap it around you.  It will make your work easier as it provides a place to keep all you need to survive battle.  You can hang a lot on the TRUTH.  
But be careful.  Don't rely on fake and useless belts.  The BELT of TRUTH will not move around and distract you.  The TRUTH is the TRUTH.  It will not let you down.
Next Warrior Wednesday: the Breastplate of righteousness.  
Until next time, Grace and Truth to you from the Red Dirt!