This train of thought started when I was trying to decide what to wear for church this morning! When I am taking a service and leading the choice is fairly easy. I currently possess two suits that actually fit me and both are navy blue. The only choice is between single or double breasted. The choice is fairly simple then regarding the colour of the shirt and tie. The only difference in the future is that I will hopefully be wearing a clerical collar instead of the shirt and tie.
This morning there were a plethora of decisions to make. Should I be smart or casual? Should I wear a sport jacket or leather jacket? Tie or open neck shirt? Does it really matter what I wear? Who am I trying to impress anyway? God? I don’t think God really cares what I wear in church, or at any other time for that matter. God is much more interested in the content of my character (to borrow a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr) than what I’m wearing.
But it’s more than just about what I wear on a Sunday morning. I’m having an internal debate about how I dress generally. Last year at college I dressed pretty casually, open shirt with a t-shirt underneath, jeans and trainers. This year I’ve been dressing more smartly during the day, shirt and tie, formal trousers, sleeveless pullover or cardigan and a jacket or blazer if its cooler. Why the change? Partly because some of the time I feel more comfortable dressing up a bit; but mostly because it’s my way of showing a little respect for those who give our lectures. They have spent time and energy preparing those lectures and a lot of effort has been put into them; the least I can do in return is put a little effort into my appearance. It’s the same as wearing black at a funeral, it’s a case of showing respect.
And yet even after writing all that, some mornings I just want to wear jeans and not bother with a tie n stuff….
I’m starting to wonder if I have an unhealthy concern with my appearance, if I’m putting the superficial above that which is truly important.
Jesus said, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. The do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28, NIV)
In its context this verse is about worry, not so much worrying about the style and colours of clothing, but worrying about whether we will have any clothes to wear at all. And yet there is an application here too.
We can spend far too much time thinking and even worrying about what we wear. Some people are incredibly fashion conscious and must wear the ‘in’ gear; others react very strongly against fashion and deliberately dress in an unfashionable way to make a point. Still others don’t care about fashion one way or the other but dress in a way that expresses their very individual personality, the personality they want to project to the world. Then there are those who dress for comfort.
I admit that I’m not fashion conscious in any way. If I am occasionally fashionable it is because what I choose to wear and fashions coincide. It doesn’t bother me either way. I have found a personal style, or styles that I think look good on me and I stick with those. The decision I have to make is which of the styles to wear on a particular day.
Maybe I am worrying too much about what to wear (or what not to wear). I just need to stop worrying about what others think and wear what I feel like wearing that particular day (unless it is for an occasion when a definite dress code applies). It is what I’m like as a person, as a follower of Jesus Christ that really matters, after all.
It doesn't matter what we wear, it is who we are in Christ that matters!
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