What Do People See?

"They are taught to dress in a way that no attention is brought to their body, but rather the attention is drawn to their face."

This was the response of a missionary who recently visited our church when asked how the pentecostal women in his country dress. This statement struck me. We all know the scriptures about costly array and gold jewelry and why we shouldn't store up our treasures in our earthly closets so to speak, but what does that mean for those who enjoy a pretty dress or new outfit every now and then? Is it wrong for me to want a beautiful dress that people will notice? That question stayed with me for a few days.

I was sitting in the stockroom at Zadie B's shortly after opening one morning and I heard a man's deep voice in the store. I peeked out and saw an everyday mall shopper standing there by himself just looking around. He began expressing to our sales clerk how impressed he was with the clothes in the store. He used the words "Class", "modest", "respectable" and "the way women should dress" over and over as he thanked us for keeping modest, respectable and fashionable dress alive.

This is when it hit me. There is nothing wrong with wanting a new dress or outfit, or waking up in the morning and wanting to "look good today." These beautiful modest clothes are the perfect frame for the things in you that people need to see. In fact, it's very important to frame your Godly inner beauty in Godly apparel. Think about it. It's as simple as the Christmas gift exchange game. You were the second to last person called to pick a gift, so by the time you get there, all the interesting gifts are gone. You inspect the two left only to find that one is sloppily taped up with small tears on the corners and lazy folds while the other is neatly creased, folded, and taped. Which do you pick? More than likely, you would choose the neatly wrapped package. Packaging is most definitely important.

Now, what you discover inside the neatly wrapped package is also very important. This is why we must clothe ourselves with strenght and dignity just as the Proverbs 31 woman. It also speacks of her being virtuous, applying herself to her household tasks, giving to the poor, being kind, and full of wisdom. All of these things are wonderful on their own, but wrapped in a beautiful package or framed in a way that brings glory to God will make your countenance irresistable to lost people who are searching for an answer.

Find that balance. Make sure that when people see you they aren't just seeing a pretty package full of worthless junk. Don't let them be turned away from your inward beauty by your outward sloppyness either. Rather, be a beautifully framed example of God's grace that will draw them towards Him.