Reframing How We Clothe Ourselves
All throughout history, one’s clothing revealed much about their social status, station and wealth. Wealthy socialites, celebrities and royals are evaluated across media platforms for their latest gowns and fashions. Priestly robes, doctor’s scrubs, and police uniforms tell us instantly what the person wearing them does for a living. A quick glance at the people roaming the streets of a big city tells you the difference between the homeless, the wealthy elite, the business associates and the tourists. How we adorn ourselves tells a story.
What Do My Clothes Say About Me?
Maybe clothing takes up a lot of our time, energy, and resources because on a deeper level, it’s a reflection of who we are? What does it say about me if
- I wear or don’t wear a lot of makeup
- I’m wearing or not wearing designer brands
- I wear or don’t wear white after a certain date on the calendar
- I’m wearing or not wearing the most recent fashion trends
- My hair is colored and styled or natural and unkept
- My peers like or don’t like my outfit
The meaning we make from the feedback, both verbal and nonverbal, probes the core of our being with questions like
- Do people like me?
- Will they reject me?
- Will they make fun of me?
- Am I enough?
- Am I acceptable?
- Am I lovable?
These subtle underpinnings put a lot of pressure on our decisions about what to buy, what to wear and what we look like. How do we know what to buy and wear, if we don’t know who we are or who we want to be? It’s no wonder we struggle with our appearance.
2 Encouragements From Scripture:
Matthew 6:28-30 NLT, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
One of the underlying concerns that fan the flames of worry in our hearts as we wrestle with these questions is money. How will we have the resources we need to clothe and adorn ourselves, our families, that reflect who we are? In these verses, God calms our deep-seated fears by assuring us of both His provision and His care for us. First, He encourages us to rely on Him to provide “all we need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. His resources are endless. Instead of looking at what we lack, we can focus on His abundant resources. Second, He challenges our faith by challenging us to trust in Him. He assures us that we should have no doubt in our minds that He will take care of us. Let’s claim this promise together.
Colossians 3:12 “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
What if we shifted our perspective and reframed what we wore into character qualities? Instead, what if we focused on clothing ourselves in
- Compassion for both ourselves and others
- Kindness demonstrated by our words and actions
- Humility by setting our own agendas aside
- Gentleness in our conversations with others
- Patience with our families, friends, strangers, other drivers
What if our prayer was this, in the words of Joni Eareckson Tada,
“Lord, I want to wear these clothes! I want to slip on compassion and kindness every morning. I want people around me to recognize the humility, gentleness and patience that comes from You. Please let the things I put on today remind people of You. Amen.”