It was the reason the guy at the ATM kept looking at me. The reason for more looks when I walked into the grocery store to get something to drink. The reason I encountered a teenage couple laughing while jogging and walking at the track. I had no idea that my shorts were inside out!
This day was a busy one. I had been finishing up an important project and was off to take my 15 year old son, Landon, to his baseball lesson. I quickly changed, pulled my hair back and ran out the door. I then remember I needed some cash to pay for his lesson, so I stopped at the bank. I then raced over to the facility to drop him off, and headed to the track to burn off some stress and calories. Not feeling very strong at this point, but needed to kill some time while he's practicing. I am exhausted. I cut it short and run to the store for some refreshment and wait for Landon's practice to finish. Whew, here he comes! Ready to go home for a good bath and some sleep.
I walk in to greet my husband--I hadn't seen him since he'd gotten home. He looked at me and said, "Your shorts are inside out." What? I start cracking up laughing and run to look in the mirror. There was a tag sticking out on the side; seams are showing. I can't stop laughing. For the longest time! I run and show the boys, "Can you believe this?" Of course, they can. They know me. And I can believe that I did this; I'm often quite dingy and miss details. I have bought sunglasses at Wal-Mart, removed the hanging price tag, and put them on as I'm walking out. Upon peeking in the rearview mirror at my cool self, I see the UV ray sticker on the lens. How did I miss that? Got a good laugh out of that one. And that time I went to church with a navy shoe (this was the early nineties people) on one foot and a black shoe on the other. But I did have a newborn. . . Hence, one of our pastors announced it to the congregation--everyone got a good laugh at my expense. I did, too. So this inside out shorts incident is not unlike me. After thinking about it, I wondered, Why didn't Landon tell me? The guy at the ATM? Why didn't someone tell me in the grocery store? At the track? Were they too embarrassed for me to say something? Well, I know Landon didn't notice. He's a typical teenager. But the man at the ATM? The onlookers in the grocery store? The teenage couple at the track? (Well, they were teenagers too. But they did notice and got a good laugh at this awkward, wannabe athlete.) Who noticed and said something? My husband. Now that's a true friend--someone who reveals your blunders.
This random story is a little picture of why we need good friends: to tell us when something's not quite right with us. Or to tell us when something is totally awry. And we need to be that kind of friend. Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Ephesians 4:15 tells us we are to speak the truth in love, which helps others to grow. And we surely need to receive those words of love from others. They sharpen us. We can become dull, weary and depleted from the busyness of life and from the tasks God gives us. We need people, the right kind of people who see us through the eyes of God. They see from the outside what we often can't see. Most of all, we need God to help us during our inside out times. If we stay close to Him, we will hear Him telling us when we are doing things the wrong way. Adjustments are needed. For our good.
I hope this story gave you a little laugh, because it did me! I am grateful for my friends: my husband, family and godly acquaintances who speak the truth to me. It shows me they love me. Even when it hurts.
A little afterthought: Later that night, Leacil and Taylor came in the kitchen and just stood there looking at me. It took me a few moments to see that their shorts were--you guessed it--inside out. And I have to remember to look closely when dressing, because Landon folds clothes while they are inside out. It's all his fault.
