In style versus out of style. Does it matter?
How hard should Christian women chase the elusive fashionistas? The style changes seasonally and the trendiest of “looks” do not always translate into the foundation pieces I have in my closet.
Do I care?
Short answer: No.
This post may seem contrary to the drive of my other posts featuring styling tips and outfit inspiration. But it isn’t.
When I began this journey several years ago, I determined to comply with the dictates of scripture but I also felt uncomfortable.
Sometimes physically, I’ve had some pretty uncomfortable skirts! But I was also uncomfortable on the inside.
I didn’t like that I stood out, I wanted to blend in seamlessly as I always had done before.
When we would go on a trip, I would agonize for days over what to pack. This paradoxical preoccupation with fitting in while being still being different was maddening.
It also led me to compromise the standards I was trying to promote.
Who was I fooling?
Mostly myself.
So here’s the part where I’m supposed to tell you I found all the answers and my wardrobe is faultless on both accounts. It is both top-notch fashion and simultaneously the highest standards of Christian modesty.
Nope. Sorry. I don’t have that ending.
What I have to offer you is this.
Therefore, “Come out from them and be ye separate, says the Lord. Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 6:17
The Lord says come out.
The Lord says be separate. Be distinct. Let the lines of demarcation be clear.
The Lord says touch not the unclean.
To pursue a modest wardrobe, a closet that complies with the expressed will of God, will not run parallel to Vogue magazine, it is often completely contrary to it.
I will not win the approval of worldlings so I need to stop trying. If they factor into my decisions I will end up compromising in some way.
Christians are called to be counter-culture. We are not here to fit in. To accept this truth is no loss but gain! What do we gain by being outcasts and misfits in this life?
Let’s re read the end of that verse….
“And I will receive you.”
Our reward is to be received by the holy God of the universe. That is no small reward for our brief life of sacrifice!
Is that not why we have chosen the road of Christianity? To ultimately be in the presence of God in his perfect heaven?
How then can we live any other way here on earth except in preparation for the kingdom?
If we have any desire to be received of him in the life immortal, we must do now what pleases him.
At the expense of the world’s approval.
At the expense of feeling odd and out of place.
At the expense of being labeled dated, out of style, passé.
So cast off your care about whether or not boleros are out of style, fret not over your practical shoes, don’t concern yourself with being clothed in an environment where everyone else is nearly nude.
Child of the king, bound for a land that is fairer than day. Until that day we shall live for his approval alone!
If you are looking for more Biblical inspiration for your wardrobe, check out these posts…
