“Wear” It Counts

What’s the Bible got to say about your style? Hint: God doesn’t want to humiliate you!

The cursor blinks hypnotically. I toy with the arrow keys and type jkjkjkjk-backspace-backspace-backspace …

Who are you kidding? I wonder to myself. Anyone would take one look at you and choke, “You? Write about style?”

Most of us have heard people judge us by the way we look. If not, we could probably imagine what they might say! Clothes seem to be an easy way to give people labels. Some of my friends care a lot about this; some say they couldn’t care less what anyone thinks. Most really don’t care what God thinks either.

What does God think?

But we’re Christians. What does God think about the way we dress?

Don’t say “uh-oh!” God doesn’t want to humiliate us. In fact, He wants us to look good! Joseph shaved while he lived in Egypt even though Israelites back home usually wore beards (Genesis 41:14). When you put God’s standards first, it’s not wrong to take care with your appearance. It’s fine to dress in a way that is acceptable in your culture.

Following God didn’t mean looking frumpy and out-of-style for Esther. She even took tips from Hegai, who was the equivalent of a fashion consultant (Esther 2:15). The Proverbs 31 woman designed her own look and it was stunning (Proverbs 31:22).

Still, we can’t forget that a person is more than the clothes he or she wears—Christ said as much (Matthew 6:25). In His day, the Pharisees dressed to show off how “righteous” they were, but He could see right through it (Matthew 23:5). Our clothes shouldn’t distract from what’s most important, our spiritual clothing—our character and the “hidden person of the heart” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

Paul’s guidelines

Paul’s guidelines for picking clothes work for guys and girls: Is it modest? Is it distracting? Is it practical for good works (1 Timothy 2:9-10)? To put it another way, would these shoes or these pants stop me from helping someone today?

Fads and fashion jump all over the place, but God reminds us not to hang out with “those given to change” (Proverbs 24:21). If we catch ourselves caring too much about our “look,” we can take a break and remind ourselves that our most important wardrobe is spiritual (Matthew 6:19-21). It won’t get holes and it will never go out of style!