Are you a fashionista? While I would like to own a chic wardrobe, my deepest desire is to be a spiritual fashionista who dresses in God’s STYLE.
A few years ago I got to meet Stacy London, star of the “What Not to Wear” TV show. (That’s me with her in the picture below.)
I was so excited to meet her because I loved that show. I was always amazed at the transformation that happened to the women who participated in the fashion makeover. Stacy and Clinton did an awesome job at helping women look their best. These wardrobe experts helped women discover “what not to wear.”
But did you know that the whole “what not to wear” concept actually appears in the Bible?
The apostle Paul told the people of Colossae:
Do not lie to each other,since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)
Did you notice the “What Not to Wear” reference? Paul tells us we have “taken off the old self” and “put on the new self.” In these two little verses I see five steps to achieving God’s style for our lives.
We are going to use the word STYLE to outline the steps necessary to become spiritual fashionistas!
Step One
The first step in our spiritual makeover is to:
See the Need for Change.
The wardrobe consultants were often ruthless in this part of the makeover process. The participant modeled three of her favorite outfits in a 360 degree mirror and explained why she liked her clothes. Stacy and Clinton didn’t try to sugar-coat any of their comments as they gave their opinions of the unflattering clothes.
I have to admit that I probably could use a fashion makeover. Style trends come and go and Sharla is still wearing her usual fashion favorites from years past. (However, sometimes that can be a good thing–believe me no one want to see me in skinny jeans!)
At times the same can be true with my spiritual style. Colossians 3:9 says, “since you have put off the old self with its practices.” My old self has its own practices, habits, tendencies. It can be difficult to change.
In the same way that I may be slow to adopt current fashion styles because I’m accustomed to my usual style, I may be slow to change my attitudes because they have become a part of me. A spiritual example of this would be saying to yourself, “Yeah, I know I’m selfish, but I’ve always been selfish and it would be very uncomfortable to change.”
So the first step in transforming our spiritual style is to See the Need for Change. Just as Stacy and Clinton have to convince the What Not to Wear participant that her current clothes are not flattering her, the Holy Spirit has to help us see that the things we hang on to are not helping us. In order for us to be willing to change, we have to see the need for an adjustment. We have to realize there is something better available. We have to become uncomfortable enough with the old to embrace the new.
Our Heavenly Wardrobe Consultant will enable us to See the Need to Change.
Toss Out the Old
I loved watching “What Not to Wear.” But I noticed that on this show tossing out the old was often the most painful part for the participant. Stacy and Clinton will throw an ugly sweater into the trash barrel, but the participant pulls it out, often with tears.
I actually enjoy organizing my closet and tossing out things I no longer wear. (Probably because that makes room for new clothes!)
But my husband is the opposite. If I throw out an old item, I have to make sure I don’t do it by donating it to the church rummage sale. Because my husband is the pastor and because he doesn’t like to “toss out the old” discarding things through the church sale was not working very well. I would donate an item one day and John would buy it back the next, coming home exclaiming, “Look what I found at the rummage sale!”
If we follow God’s advice for spiritual STYLE, we won’t do what my husband did with our old junk.
Colossians 3:9 says:
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
I like how The Message puts it:
You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire.
When God asks us to take something off it is not like taking off your jacket because you’re a little warm, but keeping it with you in case you get cold again. This taking off is to put it off for good—even throw it in the fire so you can’t get it back again.
We know in our spiritual life we are not totally free of our sinful selves until we go to heaven, but when God asks us to get rid of something, we have to do it with the attitude that it is a permanent release. We can’t surrender something, but think, “I’ll go back to that later.” We need to Toss Out the Old.
Yearn for Something More
Almost every week I get a call from a local charity asking if I have any used clothing or small household goods that I want to donate. Since I’m willing to give things I don’t need to a worthy cause, I sort through my clothes and donate the garments that no longer fit, the clothing that is simply not in style anymore.
I’m ready to toss them out so that I have room for new clothes!
I yearn for something more than what I have.
The same can be true with our spiritual closet. After God has helped us to:
See the need for change
and
Toss out the old
the Holy Spirit brings us to the point where we
Yearn for something more
We begin to realize that our old self doesn’t actually fit us. We find that it makes us uncomfortable.
We grow tired of our old ways because God has designed us for something better.
When we go shopping for that perfect outfit we look for something that fits like a glove, flatters our figure and makes us feel like a million bucks. If you’re like me you are looking for all of this on a bargain rack in the back of the store. The good news for us is that God is ready to give us the spiritual clothes that fit us perfectly and make us feel better than ever before. The Message says it this way:
Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.”
Colossians 3:10
Our heavenly Designer is like an expert wardrobe consultant who sees our potential for beauty. He loves us as we are, but He says, “Girl, you could be so much more!” Like a makeover artist who can envision a client looking ten times more attractive than she is now, God is able to see us at our best. His vision for each of us and for our eternal future is far beyond what we can picture in our wildest dreams. So let Him work. Allow Him to clothe our characters in humility and forgiveness and love so that we begin to look more like our Creator and Designer. Yearn for Something More.
Learn God’s Style
A good wardrobe consultant will be able to tell her client exactly which styles are most flattering for her. When I met What Not to Wear star Stacy London at our local mall, I also had the opportunity for a mini-style session with one of her assistants. Because I am a classic pear shape, the stylist suggested that I wear neutral colored bottoms with patterned tops to balance out my figure.
In our spiritual life, the Holy Spirit is our fashion consultant. He tells us exactly what looks best on our souls.
Look again at Colossians 3:10
Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Our new self is renewed in knowledge as we learn God’s style.
The Greek word for knowledge is epignosis which means precise and exact knowledge. It indicates a knowledge that powerfully influences one’s life. It is not just information gathered casually by watching the news. It is learning acquired through study that then changes one from the inside out.
And what knowledge are we supposed to acquire? Knowledge according to the image of the Creator. We are to gain information about what God looks like so that we can mirror that image.
On the What Not to Wear show, after Stacy and Clinton threw out the participant’s old clothes, they showed her exactly what styles and colors would look best on her. They gave three examples of outfits that suited her body, color and lifestyle.
God does this for us in the Bible too. If He were hosting the What Not to Wear—Spiritual Edition show, He would bring out His finest garments for us to wear. He would explain that trust, contentment, and humility are the characters that will make us beautiful in His eyes. He would tell us to wear kindness, gentleness and patience.
Embrace the New
One Christmas I asked my mother what she thought my dad would like for a gift. After a bit of thought she said, “He could really use some new flannel shirts for wearing around the house. The ones he has are really torn and ratty.” So I went to Sears and bought two thick, warm, colorful flannel shirts and wrapped them up in Christmas paper. When my father opened the package, he said, “Why do I need these? I’ve got a whole drawer full of new flannel shirts at home!” My dad kept wearing the old, ratty shirts even though he had brand-new ones available.
Sometimes I’m like that with my spiritual life as well. The Holy Spirit has already instructed me in how to change and given me brand-new spiritual clothing to wear, but I keep going back to my old customary ways.
Even if have learned God’s best style for our lives and seen how He wants to fashion our hearts, it won’t do us any good if we don’t take the next step in God’s STYLE and:
Embrace the New
Look again at Colossians 3:10:
Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
There are two words in this passage that mean new. The first one in the phrase, “the new self” is translated from the Greek word neos and means new in relation to time. An example of this new is when your favorite shoes wear out and you go out and buy the exact same pair of Keds or Adidas that you know are comfortable. They are the same, but newer.
The second word “renewed” is anakainos in the Greek. The root word is kainos which means new in relation to quality. This kind of new is not buying the exact same pair of Keds or Adidas when you need a new pair of shoes, but splurging on a brand-new pair of Italian leather designer pumps.
On our own we can only put on the neos new. We can reform and change—read self-help books, make New Year’s resolutions, buy new planners, and try new diets. Yet inside we are still the some person. But when God works His makeover miracles, we become kainos new. He changes the quality of our character, the worth of our spirits, the value of our lives. He transforms us from the inside out.
Once I watched a special edition of the What Not to Wear show where they revisited some of the previous participants to see if they had stuck to the fashion rules that Stacy and Clinton had given them or if they had gone back to their old ways. Sure enough, some of the participants had gone back to wearing baggy sweats even after finding stylish jeans or had reverted to wearing all black even after finding a personal color palette that flattered their coloring.
Sometimes we are that way with our spiritual clothing as well. We learn all about new biblical truths that will improve our characters, our relationships and our intimacy with God, but we don’t wear them. We go to our small group and study God’s Word, but fail to act on what we learned. We read a great devotional, but forget what we read the moment we close the book. Instead, like my dad, we keep our new knowledge in a drawer to use someday in the future.
God gives each of us an opportunity to be transformed—all it takes is a willingness to nominate yourself for God’s What Not to Wear Makeover.
Next step: Are you ready to accept God’s STYLE? All it takes is:
An openness to See the Need for Change.
A readiness to Toss Out the Old.
A heart that Yearns for Something More.
A determination to Learn God’s Style.
A commitment to Embrace the New.