KHAKI-Colored Clothing

I never thought much about the color khaki nor garments so named until I was headed to Africa. Suddenly this dull, yellowish-brown color occupied my thoughts continually and eventually filled my luggage, as well. It was the word of the day in the packing list we were sent in advance of the trip. Told to avoid bright colors – red, yellow, bright blue and white – so as not to frighten away the animals we wanted to see, we were advised to bring clothing in colors that would blend in with our surroundings, to dress to match the ground we would be walking on. Dust and dirt could then be easily brushed off, and our clothes would still look relatively clean. Brown, olive green and khaki-colored garments were to be our items of choice.

I had none. 

A summer of shopping excursions ensued, and it was amazing how my eyes became trained to see only safari colors in the choices available to me, bypassing the brighter hues that normally would catch my eye. Luckily for me, olive green was the color of choice that season, and every store had shirts and shorts and pants and jackets in abundance in the color of that popular Mediterranean fruit. I bought them all. Even my day-pack ended up matching my clothes; it’s a mystery people could see me at all, and thankfully, due to my careful shopping, the animals didn’t seem to, either!

 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or “What shall we drink?’ or “What shall we wear?’ For… your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

(Matthew 6: 31-32 NKJV, emphasis mine)