clothing... be thou our ruler

A few self reflective thoughts I've had and wanted to jot down for the children.  As I was studying the other morning I was struck by this sentence:

"Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ^aruin be under thy hand" (Isaiah 3: 6)

How many times in our society do we use appearances (someone's looks) to choose who we will follow?  Who will be our role model and what type of fabric or lack there of was draped across their body?

Advertising is all done by beautiful people. The fashion industry dictates what and who is beautiful and how beauty is portrayed. The right color changes constantly and suddenly one's wardrobe is out of fashion.  Hemlines move up and down with such speed that one can hardly remember if we are coming or going.

Appearance is the driving force and motivator in business, politics, entertainment, and yes, sometimes even church.  First impressions and often, unfortunately,  final judgements are based on looks.  I have never seen a pretty mug shot.  The news is filled with "ugly" people committing crimes. 

So as I read this single line of scripture I had to ask do I blindly follow? Whom do I revere and why?

Now I'm certainly not saying that it's bad to be beautiful.  I live in a house full of beautiful people. I'm also not saying that dressing nicely is bad.  Dressing nicely effects how your feel about yourself and can add to the performance of your tasks.  We love to see elegant costuming and apprecaite the time required to make such elaborate items.

I thought about this scripture when speaking with a darling friend who said, "Your shoes on Sunday were so cute!  I tried to listen to the teacher, but I kept being distracted by your shoes."  Those of you who know me, know I am the most conservative and least cute dresser ever.  Her comment was more about the fact that I had shoes and not the regular sandels I normally wear, but still it made me ponder and think about the things that distract me.  

Why to do we let ourselves get caught up in the comings and goings of how we look? Hours can be spent infront of a mirror to acheive the perfect style, when what is in our hearts is of the greatest value.  I hope that someone will not remember me by the clothing I wore, the style of my hair, of the size of my waistline, but rather on the goodness I was able to achieve. 

The Lord, in contrast to the world,  looks upon the heart for our character.  He knows if we love and value material possessions more than Him.  (Boys, if you are reading this it does not give you an excuse not to shower every day. A sudden thought that entered my mind, they will look for any excuse.)  He wants us to think about the next time we get new shoes and ask, "Do we really need them or could we use those resources to help someone else?"   He looks to us to spread love and in so doing we will come to understand His great love for us.

(A project Arnold did for English.  Something she is passionate about: modest and beautiful) 

Comments

[Ari]

Alison...this is such a powerful blog post. One of the things I strive for is modesty in the way my girls dress. It is so hard to find clothing that respect their REAL age and maturity. This past year was a nitemare for my 16 year old with all the parties and sweet 16's. It took perseverance and a lot of looking...but we were able to make it work. We are now shopping for my aspergers girl 's quince and that is not going as well. EVERYTHING is strapless. ACK!

[Ramona Gordy]

Hi Allison
The world is such a wacky place, I heard a teaching once where the "Emperors New Clothes" was used as a reference to explain this.

Clothing used as a sign unto a perverse and wicked generation.It is symbolic of the deteriorating morals and values of our day. Everything is transient, take old off, put new on, regardless of what is going on underneath the clothes.
One pair of shoes is good, two are better, more is more. Clothing can represent wealth to some, status to others, and in some awful cases, people are preyed upon because of their clothes.

But as a recovering shoe addict,like Michael Jordan said, "It's not the shoes..., it is of course the content of the character of the person wearing them.

What I am learning is the importance of the "new garment". This garment affords protection and is a sign of obedience. It's not the garment that protects, but the obedience that brings protection and rewards.