What not to Wear

Clothes matter. They really do. They tell a story about who you are.

Get this: last week Michelle Obama wore a new red dress to the Chinese state dinner. Every single news show and the big networks tore that dress apart. Motive was assigned to the choice of dress. Conclusions were made. Votes were decided. You either loved the dress or not.

But it was a big deal.

Then Venus Williams came to the Australian Open. Venus Williams is many things, least of which a newsmaker when it comes to clothes. Here’s what one web writer said about her dress at this year’s Australian Open: “Raise your hand if you remember Venus William’s wacky Australian Open tennis outfits. Raise your hand if you can remember her line score. I probably just lost 90% of you, but don’t feel bad. Once you’ve gone semi-commando in nude underpants, it’s hard for anyone to focus on anything else.”

And he’s absolutely right. Your clothes speak volumes about who you are and the message you are trying to send the world.

Not enough examples? Again just this morning, I came across this: “A fourth-round match at the Australian Open was delayed on Monday night when the chair umpire determined that a logo on the front of Ekaterina Makarova’s shirt was too large and had to be removed. The 22-year-old Russian was warming up before her match against Kim Clijsters when umpire Mariana Alves noticed one of the logos and made Makarova leave the court to change.”

Yes, you read that right. He made her leave the court to change.

What you wear matters a whole lot. People are watching and the church is guiltiest (did I just make this word up?). Believe me when I say I’ve seen it all when it comes to nudity – gimme a break, it’s part of my job – but still find myself averting my eyes when I walk into church.

I’m not picking on Christians per se. Or maybe I am. After all, God cares about clothes. The first thing He did when Adam and Eve recognized their nakedness was take them shopping and cover them up. He was like the first Stacy and Clinton. And of course the Proverbs 31 woman who had it all was also a fashion maven in her own right.

The strongest words regarding what not to wear in the Bible are in I Timothy 2:9-10. Here’s what it says: “likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness – with good works”.

I don’t think God is telling us to walk around in sack clothes and ashes. Remember that Paul wrote these words, and the guy unfortunately didn’t have a woman in his house to kick him in the shin and remind him that looking proper does make a difference!

I think Peter reiterates God’s heart which is that the inside is what matters and determines what the outside looks like. He reminds us In I Peter 3:3-4 to “not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

Before you get excited and accuse me of advocating dowdiness, remember to consider God’s entire word. Sarah, the matriarch of the faith was so beautiful and well dressed that she struck the eye of Pharoah. Esther was like Princess Di on steroids.

You can look beautiful and maintain modesty at the same time. But to deny that your clothes speak volumes about who you are is naïve.

I grew up with a relatively conservative but reasonable father, and believe me when I say that he would have made me go back to my room and change if I showed up for breakfast with anything less than proper.

I wish more fathers would do that today.

Every spring my pastor gets up and reminds us of some basic modesty principles. They’re easy to remember so I’ll share them with you. When you dress in the morning ask yourself 3 questions:

1. Is it too tight?

2. Is it too short?

3. Is it too low?

If you can comfortably say no to each, the odds are you’re ok. If you’re not sure, you can send me a picture and I’ll give you my 2 cents worth.

Life is too short to be sent back to change outfits, and your worth is far greater than the skin on your butt (reference to Venus’ outfit..).

What do you think your clothes say about who you are?

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