Evidence Of What I Wear

A few weeks ago, I found the most perfect pair of dark wash jeans.  You know the ones.  They are a rich & deep color that elevates even a basic tee to knock-out date night material.  They are like the unicorn of jeans-- perfect fit, color, and cut.  When I tried them on, I died and went to denim heaven.

As you can imagine, I have worn and washed them everyday several times since purchasing them.  The other day, as I kicked off my equally trendy tan suede ankle boots, (I know, I know, its crazy to think that I wear something other than active wear.  It happens. Occasionally.), after a long day of meetings and errands, I noticed that there was a ring of dark blue around the top of my boots.

The next time I wore my jeans, I noticed after taking my hands out the pockets that my knuckles were tinged with blue. Turns out, even after the many wearings and washings, the dark wash on my jeans was rubbing off on my shoes, my skin, and my clothes.  When I wore that beautiful, seemingly perfect, pair of jeans, they left behind evidence of what I had been wearing.

Now, I am all about clothes that make a lasting impression, but I'm less enthused by clothes that require extra work.  While my jeans leaving behind a trail of evidence is inconvenient, there are some things in life that we clothe ourselves with and should WANT the results to be evident to everyone around us.

Ephesians 6 describes how we should put on the full armor of God to protect us from the elements in the world.  We should fill our hearts and minds with truth, righteousness, and peace so that when we walk through conflict & difficulty what people see is evidence of our faith in God and His power.  Later, in Colossians 3, we see that, as believers, we must cast off the ill-fitting clothes of our old self and step into the made-to-order wardrobe that God has created for us.  I love the way the Message translation of the Bible phrases it, " Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it" (Colossians 3:9-10).

On special occasions, people walk the red carpet in the creations of famous clothing designers.  Everyday, the way we walk should reflect the design of our Creator.  We should dress in the wardrobe that He has picked out for us, and wear it proudly-- happy to have evidence of what we are wearing left behind.

We are called to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, and discipline.  Colossians 3 says, "be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.  And, regardless of what else you put on, wear love.  It's your basic, all-purpose garment.  Never be without it" (Colossians 3:13-14).



I'm going to keep wearing my super-cute dark wash jeans because you don't give up on denim that fits so perfectly.  And, when I see that blue dye left behind on my hands or shoes, I'm thankful for the reminder that what we wear does matter.  When we build our wardrobe with things that come from God, we don't have to worry about what is left behind.  In fact, He wants us to leave a trail behind us.  A trail of evidence that points right back to Him.

What are you wearing these days?