The Parable of What Not to Wear

  The kingdom of heaven is like Stacy and Clinton. Friends and family offer up pleas that they’ll come to rescue their loved ones.

They come to both the good and the bad. The drab and the loud. The homely and the skanky. All wounded and insecure on the inside, no matter if they choose to either hide behind their clothes or push people away with their clothes.

And then on fine day, Stacy and Clinton show up. They offer a new beginning:

If you would like it, we can give you $5000 for a totally new wardrobe tailored to who you are and to the purposes for your life

And the contestant’s eyes get big from the shock of it all.

But it comes with a cost. You have to trust us with al your old clothes. Every accessory, hair-piece, and article. And bring it to the studio. We’ll examine your clothes and whatever we say needs tossed gets thrown in the garbage.

Often, the woman hesitates. Mentally assesses her lot. Looks to her friends for reassurance.

Is this worth the cost???

(…Because I love my jerseys. …Because I am comfortable in drabby and baggy. …Because I love my over the top style that gets me noticed.)

She goes for it. She takes the risk. There is always resistance getting rid of old clothes and emptying out the dusty buckets.

But then comes trust and submission (even if mixed with a bit of rebellion). They try to follow the new rules as they shop. Try hard to get it right.

Here’s the crux of the whole thing—what people don’t understand is that this whole new wardrobe is NOT to fit them into a cookie cutter mold. It’s NOT to make them behave better. It’s NOT to give them new rules and a heavy yoke. It’s NOT to motivate the lazy or inform the ignorant.

Then what’s the point of this new beginning? It’s to let who they are created, fashioned to be shine through.

There’s something about being around a woman who knows she is made to be beautiful, strong, loving, capable, giving, and compassionate. When she shines around you, it’s contagious and makes you want to dump your old clothes and get some new ones!

“The old is gone. The new is come!”

Yall, the Christian walk is the same thing. Reread what it is NOT. And reread what it IS. Let it sink in. You were created to shine the contagious Light of Christ. And that is a beautiful thing. He came so we’d be FREE!

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Inspiration? Bob Hamp for his revolutionary teachings in the Freedom classes (check out these classes!), Dianne Guthmuller for her speech at LeadHer Live Opelika (check out her blog!), and Colossians 3.