He was only seven years old, but even a man of that age has his dignity and self-respect to protect. To wear short pants when in the new neighborhood to which he had moved all the other boys his age were wearing long, was simply intolerable and unreasonable.
It was true that he had only one pair of long pants- his Sunday best. True also that another pair of everyday long ones would cost money. And he was ready to admit that where he'd lived before, most of the boys had worn short pants. But that didn't change the fact that here nobody did. He just could not wear those short pants here.
For days, each morning, the boy and his mother fought the battle of the pants. In the end, overcome by the superior forces of an unyielding parent and faced with the grim alternatives of short pant or no pants, he had rebelliously pushed his legs through the hated shorts. But not without a last and telling shot.
"All right," he had sobbed, "I'll wear them. But when I get to heaven I'm going to ask God if a seven-year old boy should wear long pants or short, and if He says long ones, you'll be sorry."
The deep questions and hurts poised by the battle of the pants and the need for a ruling from heaven on what is indeed fitting for a seven- year old in that situation are things of the past. At least for that particular boy. But for him and even his parents the same battle has to be fought and re-fought endlessly on different fronts and battle lines. And always, of course, the issues are quite not as simple as they appear to be on the surface. For what is involved is generally more than a free choice between long or short, or an innocent question of taste. Parental authority, social custom, ethics and morals, and many other questions are also involved.
Also, unfortunately, in numberless matters not basic to our faith in Christ it is not always possible down here to secure that sure, final authoritative word from on high that will resolve the doubts and settle the dust and strife of battle. True, we have God's written Word -our final infallible norm of truth and conduct. What a source of comfort and certitude it is. How simple and clear on the way of salvation; how wonderful a lamp to our feet. How wonderful it would be if we could all understand it perfectly and agree as to all its teachings, not only regarding the essentials, but also in its concept of lesser significance.
But for the present, confronted with the many shades of opinion, taste, custom, tradition, culture, judgment and interpretation, and faced with the contradictory claims of biblical sanction for each, it is rather vexing indeed that these matters cannot be settled once and for all. Or, that, having settled them ourselves, others are so slow and reluctant to accept the light. How frustrating to have to wait till we get to heaven for the verdict which will enable us to say, "I told you so."
In the meantime, perhaps we'll have to accept the counsel of the Apostle Paul to " let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind," and so seek ourselves.