Fashion: A Biblical Perspective

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIVUK)

In February before the pandemic, my husband took me little shopping spree to Roanoke. We had a wonderful day which included visiting one of our favorite restaurants that we had not been to in quite some time. With every step, we walked hand in hand and my husband granted me the perfect day by taking me on this trip. He had taken me shopping for the perfect Easter Dress. Spending the day watching me try on dresses, skirts, and tops. I had lost 100 lbs. and I wanted to show off my weight loss in a beautiful dress for Easter and he wanted me to know how proud he was of me.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country. I prayed so hard for everything to be over and I could go to church on Easter Sunday in this beautiful dress. But God had other plans and we never made it to church on Easter Sunday. Instead, I sat on my couch in comfy clothes and watched my pastor preach the sermon online.
Still, I continued to pray for an end to this pandemic. I just wanted to show my dress off whenever I could. It was a beautiful pink dress with white flowers on it. It flowed to the ground and made me feel as pretty as I could be. Yet, that dress sat in the closet still looking unworn as it did on the store rack.

Selfishly, I had lost focus about the truth of Easter and I found myself only concerned about my outward appearance on that beautiful day. I should have been focused on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet, I was focused on my own beauty. This is a new battle I am now facing daily with the weight loss. I no longer go to the largest size on the rack and I like it. I like the way it makes me feel.

COVID-19 has been a wakeup call for me in many aspects of my life. My faith has grown during COVID-19 because I am turning to the Word to find answers. I have taken the idea of getting up and getting dressed for the day and turned it to dressing in comfy clothes and sitting on the couch reading my Bible. I have spent this time learning how to beautify my inner self so that I could be worthy of being called a child of God.

So while my beautiful dress still sits in my closet with the tags on it, I walk out the door today more beautiful in the eyes of God. Where does your beauty lie?