“What will I wear today” is one of the first questions that we ask ourselves in the morning. We open our closets and examine our wardrobe and try to determine what we will wear. Sometimes it is a quick decision while at other times we may struggle to decide. We may try on a couple of outfits before we make our choice. But at some point, we do have to choose what we will wear for the day.
What we wear also will communicate a message to those we come into contact with. Italian fashion designer, Miuccia Prada, says it this way, “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” That is, what we wear makes a statement whether we realize it or not.
In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul writes, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) According to Paul, when we enter into a relationship with Jesus, then there is a wardrobe change. The old wardrobe is discarded, and we now clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ. Jesus becomes our fashion statement to the world. Jesus becomes our style of living in the world.
Well, Jesus was indeed a trendsetter who stood out from the other religious leaders of the day. It is why people were drawn to him. His life was dressed in a wardrobe that was attractive and inviting. Jesus stepped out in a new style. As his followers, we are called to emulate that style of living in our world. Each day we must decide to clothe ourselves in the style of Jesus before stepping out into the world. And the style of Jesus is one that will be evident to others. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul would also write, “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3: 12-14)
However, what is confusing to the world is when we claim to follow Jesus, but our lives are out of sync with the life that Jesus lived. Rather, than demonstrating the qualities that Paul highlights: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love, we sometimes model the direct opposite. Mahatma Gandhi, in observing Christianity once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Whether it was Gandhi or our next-door neighbor, people are watching us as followers of Jesus in our how we live our lives. The question for all us is, “do they see Jesus in me?” Do they see Jesus in me at work, school, in social settings, on FACEBOOK, twitter, and the like? Does our way of living demonstrate that we have indeed clothed ourselves in Christ Jesus?
As individuals, we can spend a lot of time and money on our clothing wardrobe. We can stand at our closet doors in deep thought about what we will wear for today. Maybe we should all spend some time reflecting more on how our living models the life of Christ Jesus in our daily walk. When we clothe ourselves in Jesus, then the day we live will always be in style in the eyes of God and be attractive to those around us.
Conversations from the Couch 