Years ago I went into a store in California, which advertised and sold clothes at a discount. These clothes were marketed as “slightly irregular.” I spoke to a friend of mine who had shopped there and they told me that you have to try absolutely everything on; because that was the only way to guarantee that it would fit. The irregularities could be in the sizing of the garment, or a sleeve could be longer than the other, a pant leg shorter than the other or there could be defects in the stitching, etc.
I decided to risk it, since the advertized prices were so low. I arrived, and to my surprise, found a clean and orderly store. Not just heaps or racks of clothing that were all hodge-podge. The clothes were all new and had familiar “Brand Name” labels. I chose about three shirts and a couple of pairs of trousers, and, as I recall, a sweater.
I took the garments to the fitting rooms and followed my friend’s advice and tried on each piece. I was surprised because ALL of the “slightly irregular” clothes fit me perfectly. I started thinking about that and began to wonder what it said about me that “slightly irregular” fit me perfectly. Well, the price was right, so I bought all the clothes which I had tried on.
I worked at a large computer firm back in those days. The office had 200 or so employees. The next day, after my purchase, I wore a pair of the pants and a shirt to the office. I went into the crowded break room for coffee and a little small talk with co-workers, before putting the nose to the grindstone. We were standing in a circle, when I looked down at the floor. When I did, I noticed something…well… “Irregular.”
There was a weird looking crease across the front of my pants and when I tried to straighten it out, I noticed something even more “Irregular”, which was causing the odd crease. The zipper on the pants was crooked! Yep, and at quite a peculiar angle! This was a little detail, which had gone unnoticed in the confines of the fitting room. Later that same day I also noticed that the right sleeve on my shirt had a deformity on the seam, between my cuff and my elbow. But, alas, they still fit me!
This is just a reminder that we are all “slightly irregular”, but that we all fit in somewhere perfectly. In our case, they aren’t defects by the manufacturer, but rather unique anomalies, which suit us and make us fit in where others may not. It also causes us to fit together and help smooth out each other’s weird little creases and odd little seams. So maybe we’re not exactly flawless, but together in Christ, we become the perfect fit. Blessings!

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