What not to wear....

I admit it....I have no fashion sense. I would love it if someone would nominate me for the television show, "What Not To Wear." Yes, I will gladly be humiliated in front of millions of people if you will give me a makeover and show me how to shop for a whole new wardrobe.....

I can't be alone in this...otherwise the producers of the aforementioned show would run out of candidates for their makeovers! Plus, I recently had a conversation with an old friend on the difficulty of finding clothes that are appropriate and fit. (My fluctuating weight doesn't help in that department!) The place we feel this the most is when we are trying to get ready for church.

Church is the one place where you would hope that clothing wouldn't be an issue, but we live in the south.... I remember when I was little and my mom would try to get her little tomboy dressed for church in "appropriate" clothes. I hated it. The shoes were the worst. She always wanted me to wear my patent leather shoes (which had to be polished with a cold biscuit) and I always wanted to wear my tennis shoes, (which didn't even have to be clean!) We usually worked out a compromise. I'd wear that ugly scratchy dress she picked out, but I'd wear it with my tennis shoes....at least sometimes she let me.

Come to think of it, little kids really know what it's all about. They feel like a princess, so they wear their princess dress. They mix their favorite Elmo dress with pokadot rain boots and a flower barrette. Oh, and don't forget the zebra striped umbrella to complete the mix. Red cowboy boots make perfect sense with a Sunday suit for a 3 year old. And while we make shake our heads in disbelief, nothing is more precious to us than the expression of love on that child's face. Must be kind of how God looks at us. When did we lose that?

Now that I'm older and picking out my own clothes, I find myself staring into the dark recesses of my closet and uttering the mournful, "I've got nothing to wear." Why is it so difficult to get ready on this one day of the week? I know the scripture says, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." The problem is I'm going to church with other "mans and wo-mans". Sometimes those "wo-mans" can be downright picky! I usually try to avoid those folks. Unfortunately, I'm not able to avoid myself and I am the worst I know at picking myself apart!

I want to be more like Jesus and look at the heart....maybe that's where it all begins. Instead of staring into my closet trying to figure out what to wear, I should be spending my time looking into my heart. I could be spending time in His Word making adjustments and washing away impurities. Of course, I still have to get dressed, but perhaps instead of making sure my shoes are perfect for my outfit, I can make sure I've put on the shoes of the gospel of peace. Who cares what blouse I wear if I've put on the breastplate of rightousness! Purses....nope. I'll carry a shield of faith instead. I'll be a "sharp dresser" if I make sure I carry the Sword of the Spirit. Of course, no outfit is complete without a cute belt....mine could be one made up of truth that holds everything together. Oops...almost forgot the importance of a good hair day....mine will be perfect with the helmet of salvation.

So, for a while at least, don't be surprised if you see me coming to church in jeans and, of course, tennis shoes. I really don't mind if you look at me funny....I'm going to be working on learning to see you, and myself, as Christ does. Wow, we've never looked better to me!

1 Sam. 16:7b "...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."