Choosing Your Wardrobe
May 22, 2023
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:12-13 NLT
Have you ever people-watched? If you have, you probably had moments when you wondered why people chose the clothes they were wearing. I love to people-watch at airports. Particularly the large ones, where you walk a mile or so to get to your gate. My most frequent wonderment surrounds the shoes women often wear. It’s hard for me to imagine why anyone would dash through an airport in high heels.
I enjoy watching American Idol, and especially during the initial auditions I wonder why people chose their specific “outfit.” Sometimes I imagine their “story,” their passions, interests, and background. All of those influence what we wear. In fact, I’ve discovered that what we choose to wear reflects who we are, where we are going, what we care about. We wear football cleats, sneakers, boots, slippers, or dress shoes based on a combination of our personal style, what statement we want to make about ourselves/what we care about, and where we are going. Think about what you chose to wear right now. It tells a story to people who see you.
Paul tells us that we choose the wardrobe our “spirit-man/woman” will wear. It is our responsibility to choose, and he tells us to “clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Those clothes tell a story. They say that we are safe people, Jesus-followers, and people who can be trusted.
Wearing kindness and its companion traits tells what we care about—we aren’t concerned primarily for our own convenience, comfort, or advancement. We care about others. We care about the things Jesus cares about.
When we are humbly clothed in kindness, gentleness, and patience, our behavior makes loud statements about where we are going. We are headed to healthy, loving relationships that are characterized by a notable lack of snap judgments and criticism, because we make allowances for the faults and struggles of others. Our destination is Christlikeness. We never forget how He has forgiven us, and we are committed to forgive others.
You and I are surrounded by people-watchers. Especially in our world, calling yourself a Christian or a Jesus-follower opens the door for people to watch you and either be drawn to Jesus or repelled. What we wear as Jesus-followers represents Him. Wear kindness.
- Is there anything I am “wearing” that tells a wrong story?