A Coat of Many Colors
There are few things better for alleviating the gloom of a chilly gray day than a coat of many colors. I’ve always had a soft spot for them. And I’m at a loss to understand why most adult winter coats come in shades of black and gray. Don’t we need winter cheer too?
Why are colors considered childish?
But color and cheer and joy are not the only reason I love them.
I remember being in a pickup truck with my Great-Granny or my Grandma or my Grandma and Dolly Parton’s hit “Coat of Many Colors” would come on the radio and we’d sing along.
Everyone always sang along with Dolly.
And we’d belt out this verse:
But they didn't understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be.
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My mama made for me.
(Isn’t it wonderful when Dolly Parton succinctly explains your profession?)
Nearly everytime this came on the radio, my elders would explain this passage to me. And it basically comes down to this:
“Feeling poor” has very little to do with money. You can have lots of money and still feel like you’re poor. You can have no money, and even though life is a struggle, you can feel rich.
in other words…
You, and you alone, are responsible for how you feel.
Now, let me be clear, taking radical responsibility for your life doesn’t mean your problems disappear.
It doesn’t alleviate racism or classism or sexism.
It doesn’t mean that people who have no money lack ambition and drive.
It doesn’t alleviate our responsibility to assist those less fortunate than us.
It doesn’t mean we lie to ourselves about our situation.
It means we stop telling ourselves destructive stories:
“I desire more money” is a very different attitude from “I am poor.”
“I desire more money” has a solution. “I am poor” locks you into a state of being.
How can we speak the truth and avoid getting stuck in destructive stories?
The Story
I suffer.
I do not deserve love.
Joy is an illusion.
The Truth
I’m lonely, I’m sad, I’m in pain, I’m angry.
All of Creation deserves love.
Joy is there for the taking.
Once we release our destructive stories, we’re able to create constructive solutions - and a life not hidebound to stories of any type.
