Dressing is important to many of us ladies. It’s important because the way we dress often gives people a glimpse of who we are. We dress modestly to show people that we respect ourselves and take care of our image. We dress up in elegant clothes to show that we’re elegant. Appearance is important. I’m pretty sure your grandma or mom tells you that all the time.
My brother, Diego, can tell you that. He loves to hang out in shorts all day. He hates wearing long pants and button-up shirts. Every Sunday–every Sunday–my mom gets mad at Diego because he insists on wearing shorts to church. And every Sunday, Diego has to change his outfit at least twice because my mom disapproves of it.
Suppose you have a job interview. You wouldn’t meet your potential boss in jeans and a tank top, would you? Of course not! You’d try to look your best because you want to give a good impression. You want to demonstrate that you’d be a good employee.
I imagine (and I know) you are a gorgeous girl. I know you look gorgeous when you’re wearing the latest trends from Forever 21 or your favorite store. I’m sure you look stunning when you wear the perfect dress to the prom or homecoming.
God likes fashion, too. Just not the kind you’re thinking of.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians about acting like Christians. In Colossians 3:5-8, Paul tells the Colossians (and us!) how to do that. In Colossians 3:12, he tells us how to dress like Christians. Let’s see:
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” (Colossians 3:12-14 MSG)
Now that God has granted you a new life, a life that glorifies Him, you need to dress accordingly! Let’s check out the fabulous wardrobe God picked for us:
Compassion. Compassion is showing concern for others. Understanding their problems. Helping them in any way you can. Jesus was known for being compassionate. He never ignored anyone who sought him. And you shouldn’t, either! Help people in any way you can. Dress in compassion.
Kindness. Kindness and compassion go hand in hand. Be a friend to that girl who sits alone at the cafeteria. Help your younger siblings with their homework. Offer to make dinner one night. Help your dad wash the car. Tell someone they look beautiful. That little act of kindness can brighten up people’s day!
Humility. Being humble is something many of us (myself included) struggle with. It’s okay to be proud of your accomplishments and of who you are. God doesn’t want us to think lowly of ourselves, but he doesn’t want us to let the compliments we get to go tour heads, either. Don’t seek glory for yourself. In all that you do, glorify God. He will reward your humility (Matthew 23:12).
Quiet strength. Gentleness. God wants you to be gentle. He wants you to have a mild temper and quiet behavior.
Discipline. God wants you to be disciplined. Patient. Obedient. He wants you to be respectful to everyone. Your teachers, your pastor, your parents, your sister, your friends, your worst enemy–all of them deserve your respect.
Love. God is love, right? He wants us to dress in that quality that will set us apart from everyone else. It’s our all-purpose garment. You know how they say every girl should have an LBD (little black dress)? Think of love as your LBD (a modest one 🙂 ). It’s essential. Without love we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13).
Your clothes are visible to everyone. This outfit from the fabulous wardrobe God has given you should be too. The fact that Jesus is alive in you should be visible to everyone! The best part is that these clothes, unlike the ones you buy at stores, will never go out of style.
Now that you’re dressed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, discipline, and love…honey, you’ve never looked better.
In Christ,
Gaby
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