The other day I was wearing my Deagel’s Pastries and More shirt. It’s a shirt from the bakery my parents owned when I was growing up. I usually wear it when I’m baking or just when I want that extra feeling of love. That same week, I wore a purple dress my daughter gave me to worship because I couldn’t be with her on her birthday. I began to wonder about my clothes and the emotional attachment they bring me. I have a shirt my mom gave me that brings me comfort and lovely thoughts about her. I have a cozy sweatshirt from my other daughter that makes me smile every time. I wear my son’s old coat that my dear sweet mother-in-law gave him one year for school that feels like a hug from both. I have blankets that bring about warm thoughts and warm feet from those who have made them and/or gifted them to me.

I’m not going to bore you by going through my whole closet, but I could go on and on about who or where or how most of my clothes bring about some kind of memory.

In an effort to not feel like a complete weirdo about this emotional attachment, I began to wonder about those in scripture and their clothes.

Adam and Eve were given an outfit by God in Genesis 3:21.

Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

This outfit came about because the outfit they made for themselves out of fig leaves after disobeying God and having their eyes opened (Genesis 3:7) was not up to God’s standards. I wonder what this tunic of skin made them think of when they put it on. Did they remember the taste of that fruit and their sin that brought them this outfit? Did they wear it on days when they needed to be reminded of their past actions and to not make that mistake again? Did they wear it with a sense of “this came from our God, you know, the one and only designer of everything you see”? Did they wear it feeling all of the love and goodness that comes from only God?

Joseph received a coat of many colors from his father in Genesis 37:3.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

This tunic of many colors was a gift, but it brought about some jealousy from Joseph’s other brothers. His brothers actually hated him because of it (Genesis 37:4). They took that coat from him, dipped it in blood, and made their father believe that Joseph had died. I wonder how Joseph felt about this coat. Did he wish he had it when he was in that pit, or in prison? I’m sure he could have used some comfort of home. Did he have fond memories of it or did it just cause him more pain? Did Joseph’s father keep that tattered coat of many colors to remember his favorite son? Did he keep a swatch of it in the back of his closet?

Samuel received a coat from his mother every year while he was in the temple working in 1 Samuel 2:19.

Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

This account pulls at my heartstrings a little more. Samuel, the child Hannah prayed for earnestly, was living in the temple with Eli, learning how to minister before the Lord, and only saw his mom once a year. I can just imagine the love, the prayers, and perhaps a few tears that were stitched into that coat year after year. Did Samuel ever get tired of the same gift every year? Did he wear that coat on hot days just because he missed his family? Did he feel a sense of comfort and love when he wore it? Did he keep all of his outgrown coats because of his emotional attachment or did he give them to others in need? Did he wear them so often that they just simply wore out? Did he make sure he had it on when his mother and father came for their yearly sacrifice?

Many widows had tunics and garments made by Dorcas in Acts 9:39.

Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

We don’t have much information about these widows other than the fact that they loved Dorcas. Dorcas was “full of good works and charitable deeds” (Acts 9:36). She had a heart of service towards these widows. These widows obviously remembered who gave them their clothes. They remembered how Dorcas made them feel when they received them and probably even when they wore them. Did they continue to remember after Peter raised her from the dead? Did they tell everyone about Dorcas when they wore their coats? Did they talk more about getting the coat or more about how the one who made it was raised from the dead? Did they talk about the miracle they witnessed all because of this coat they have?

I have more questions than answers about these memories, but maybe the answers don’t matter. Perhaps it’s more about being thankful for the memories and the warm feelings our emotional support clothes bring to us. Maybe instead of wondering why, it would be best to pray and thank God for those people we are reminded of and those forever memories we hold dear.

By: Kristina Odom