tim’s thought property

Many people try to draw theological parallels to common place things, it helps to better understand ones points. I am just the same, perhaps taking a shine to C.S. Lewis’ approach on the practice. And in similar fashion, I have a little analogy to draw, using the fabric of the very pants that I am wearing. I will explain this in two parts; first the Background, second the Analogy itself.

Now, as you can see above, these pants are quite worn. Not much more than a collection of rags clinging to the skeletal parts of a pair of pants too comfortable to let go. In fact, I’ve had these pants for five years. They were bought two inches too large and too long. I was still under that old idea that I’d grow into them, but I did not realize that I was at the end of my growing.
So, years came and went and the pants started to go with them. I had to get a couple knee patches first, since they were getting all stressed out, from all the factory work I was doing. A couple of box cutter swings, and the bare knees are showing. The crotch followed soon after, thus being the crucial “keep or kill” moment. At this point, I thought that I would continue to hang on to them, and keep employing the service of my mother to keep them from the garbage bin.
After another year, I decided to spruce them up, with some old patches and badges that I’d found. A couple of swimming badges, from when they rated progression in colours, a Campbell’s soup patch from an old hat, and a name tag from an antique store. The longer I had the pants, the more rips, tears and holes came. I took turns fixing them, with Mom doing the more difficult parts. When the back belt loop finally broke, I had to put them down, for an indefinite duration, until the repairs could come.
In the meantime, I’d lost some girth, and found that I had about four inches less than the waist. So, I begun to muse how to fix the belt loops and the width. It took the expertise of my Aunt Dorothy, who could repair the seams properly, and I ended up tackling the loops.

Now, the background is taken care of, the Analogy.
Bare with this, if theology is not an interesting topic for you. The Pants, bought new, once in my possession, are like my Soul. Disregarding that I purchased them, the Pants are a new and wonderful part of me (ie. wardrobe). As years go on, the Pants are worn down, stressed, faded, stretched, torn like anything. The Soul, as life goes on is affected the same. In every event, choice, mistake, triumph, experience there is something that marks the Soul, for good or for ill. As I ended up getting hole in the Pants, I went to get them repaired. There was replacement fabric put over the tears, to support them for the next trials that may come. Just the same, the Soul is in need of repair in times of trauma, anxiety, sadness, betrayal and all other damaging experiences. Once the Creator repairs His work, the pants are not quite the same. They never retain that colour, look or even former strength. Each time I had the Pants fixed, they took on a new look. Often still similar, only slightly altered. Sometimes the whole foundation was lifted. This will be an ongoing project of mine, for as long as I can keep this up. For GOD, his project on the condition of our Souls is never going to be completed in our lifetimes.
I believe each event that we go through defines our Souls, and shapes them for what they will eventually become. Spiritual growth is the growth of the Spirit, the Soul. It is like any other avenue, only we cannot see it directly, and we cannot easily gauge our progress. So even though my pants are visible and tangible to everyone, only I know the work put in, and the complete measure of their journey. The same is with GOD, he knows the starting and finished product.

Some people parallel growth to natural things like trees or seasons, and that’s all well and good. My example is personal (obviously) and it shed light to things in a different way. I hope that it has been an informative read for you.