When I was a teenager, my mother and sisters and I loved to go shopping together. No matter where we went or what was on our list, we were always looking for a deal.
Every now and then, we would drive over to Eastern Baltimore County to Value City. It was a huge department store, full of unbelievable discounts. We would always look through the home goods and the toys, but we spent more of our time searching for clothing.
Part of the fun, of course, was trying on clothes we would probably never wear. We would often pick items that were so unusually put together that it wasn’t clear how the garment was meant to be worn.
“Maybe it looks better on,” my mother would say cheerfully, sending us to the fitting rooms with stacks of shirts and pants and skirts. Sometimes it did, and most times it didn’t. But we always had a wonderful time, trying on vibrant colors and patterns, comparing outfits and sometimes bringing a few discounted items home.
On one of these outings, we came across a pair of gold lamé pants. They were marvelous, sleek and shimmery – and more than a little frivolous. I tried them on as a joke, but they fit beautifully. And they were only $3!
When would I wear them? No one could guess. I was about the most conservative teen dresser you could imagine. Could I be the kind of person who would wear something so unusual? There was only one way to find out. Those pants came home with me that day, and they found their way to my college dorm room.
When I was a college student back in the ’90s – back in the 1900s, as my teens might say – we dressed casually, mainly in jeans and flannel shirts. There weren’t many opportunities to opt for shimmery gold pants. But I had fun bringing them out of the drawer now and then for a special occasion or a fun evening with friends.
As it turns out, it’s hard to wear gold pants and be bored or unhappy or unengaged with those around you. Gold pants invite conversation and connection.
One day when I was editor of the student newspaper, I decided to wear the pants for a meeting with a couple of the college trustees. When I arrived for the appointment, it suddenly occurred to me how formal the conversation was going to be – and here I was in startlingly gold pants. I hesitated at the door, wondering whether I had made the right decision. Still, a quick reference to my gold pants broke the ice, and we had a good laugh together before I conducted the interview.
Nothing gold can stay, as they say, and the gold lamé pants did lose their sheen. When the gold started wearing off, I had to let them go. But I definitely got my three dollars’ worth, and I had plenty of fun wearing them. They gave me a little extra confidence – and they helped me connect with people.
As we begin a new year and turn the page on the calendar, we may be wondering what lies ahead. We aren’t likely to discover – or need – a pair of gold pants, but maybe we will need something unusual for the journey before us. Whatever that might be, we can trust that God will prepare us – or has already.
“We shall steer safely through every storm so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast and our trust fixed on God,” St. Francis de Sales told us.
Whatever the year ahead brings, may you know that God will give you what you need and that he walks alongside you every step of the way. Through whatever twists and turns this time in life brings, may you find your strength in him.
And, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll even find a pair of gold pants along the way.
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