Paul has an interesting suggestion for how to start out the day: put on our spiritual uniform. Paul wrote during the Roman era, and takes from the dress and armament of the most fearsome warriors on earth at that time as an illustration of how believers ought to approach each day.
The first item listed is one of prominence. A belt to hold up our pants. Some translations say “having girded your loins with truth”. In the ancient near East, both men and women wore long, flowing tunics. It could get in the way. They didn’t have “belts” as we know them. So when battle or hard work was on the horizon, they “girded their loins” by pulling the hem of the back of their tunic between the legs then tying the tunic into a knot near their waist. They could run and work and fight without the cloth constantly getting in their way.
Until we gather up the truth, we are going to get in our own way. We will trip over our lack of self-awareness, our inaccurate perceptions, and our improper use of emotions. The truth binds these in an effective way so that we might go into the world and work the fields and fight the battles we are called to.
We often prefer our own assumptions. But the truth binds everything else together. Without it, we flutter in the wind. Everything crumbles to the ground, shackling our ankles and leaving us in naked embarrassment. Each day we do battle with the world, and with our own flesh. As you engage in the fight God has called you to, make sure you have girded your loins with truth.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.”
– Ephesians 6:14