Decked out festively in maroon and white as she headed to her season-reserved seat on the third-row at half-court in the 10,000 seat JQH arena at Missouri State University, and feeling the pride of team spirit, from out of left field my wife abruptly opined as to why Islam was rapidly gaining new adherents. “It’s their uniforms,” she said, referencing the hajib or burqa that Muslim women wear. “People like to dress for their team, and Islam requires the women to dress in the team uniform. That’s why Islam is growing.”

She has a good point buried in her larger, I think not-fully-thought-out, assessment. People do like to dress for their team, and Islam enforces dress on its women, and that enforcement of appearance likely does provide some form of security for mislead believers. In fact, the rules of religion have provided mankind the security of defined boundaries for centuries. I’m reminded of the research that was done at the elementary school where they took down the fence around the playground. Previously the students had played all over the playground—even up against the chain link fence. But when the fence was removed, children began playing much closer to the building. When the fence was reinstalled, the once again played out to the edge of the fence line. Humans are comforted by boundaries. Religious rules and dress codes provide boundaries offering clear lines of distinction in which unthinking people find security.  Dress like this and go to Heaven. Dress like that and go to Hell. Do this, say this, believe this, act like this, and you’ll either have favor with God and live a glorious afterlife, or you are toast, depending on which edict you follow.

“We Christians should have uniforms,” Kelly said. Ah, no dear. We tried that. External signs and symbols don’t appease God. The Old Testament God followers were all about rules and regulations. Wear this. Wash this many times. Don’t do that on this day but do do this on that day. If you followed the rules meticulously, Diety was happy. And if you didn’t………. And nobody could……….

Enter Jesus saying things like “Its not what goes into a man from the outside, but what comes from the inside of a man that defiles him.” (Mark 7:15) The point being that man doesn’t need an exterior wash, but an interior scrubbing. With a few symbolic exceptions and those of a sexual nature, the issues aren’t dress code, uniforms, or religious rules invented by man. The issue is internal. It’s about the condition of the heart. It’s either in alignment with God, evidenced by profession and deed, or it’s out of alignment with God, typically evidenced by word and deed. Jesus died on the cross to bridge the God-Man gap created by that misalignment, and lives within those who profess Him constantly reshaping malleable hearts back into alignment with the values, desires, attributes and behaviors of God.

One of the great challenges for those of us who follow Jesus is to keep our hearts soft toward Him; perpetually malleable and not hard. When a Christ-follower hardens his heart its like driving a car on which the steering locks up. The driver can no longer direct it, and the ditch awaits it. In different measure all of us who follow Him have experienced that sudden loss of steering, and some of us have learned how important it is when you feel yourself clutching the wheel too tightly to loosen up and let God remain the driver.

Do we need team uniforms? Not so much. That’s easy religion; easily performed without much thought or commitment, and readily apparent but not necessarily significant. So wear whatever you like. In fact, the variety of color, fabric, and style is in keeping with how God created the world—many splendored and full of variety—mountains and valleys, deserts and streams, flowers of every color, animals in every style. I think when God looks upon those who call Him Father and sees their color and attire he enjoys the beauty and uniqueness.

When God opens the “closet of the heart” that’s where He wants to find conformity; not with each other, but with Him. If what hangs in that closet indicates you aren’t a member of the team, there is only one way to fix that. You can’t shop for a new wardrobe in team colors, you have to receive it it on your knees where the Father and King places His own robe on the shoulders of the one who kneels before Him as he welcomes them into His family and calls them His son or daughter. One of Jesus’ contemporaries, John, wrote it this way “To all who receive Him, who believe in His name, to them He gave the right to become the children of God.” (John 1:12)

“Hey Honey, have you seen my letter jacket? I want to be sure when we get to the big game that everybody knows I’m on the team.”