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Clothed in Righteousness


"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10
 
As one half of a brand-new whole, I am often learning the ‘whys’ behind the actions and thoughts of my husband at times unsolicited –yes, I was shocked too.
One recent Wednesday evening, we had finished a lite dinner and were preparing to dress for Wednesday night service when I asked that good looking fella of mine what he would be wearing to church that evening. Of course my question just lead to his asking me what I would wear. Thus, the shorts vs. jeans discussion begins….To be brief I will just state he grew up not being allowed to wear shorts to church. I grew up with a mother who preferred for us to not wear jeans.

Let me share we are both in complete and total agreement with our represented upbringing in this area… now can you guess what his outfit item of choice is for a casual Wednesday night service is? (If you guessed jeans you’re correct!) Now, guess what my casual outfit item of choice is? (Did you say shorts?! Two-for-two!) While there was no argument on the matter, I silently filed the topic away in my mind as something to determine as a couple for our own family BEFORE we have teenagers…. No worries I did not try to start a riot and wear my nice, oh so comfy shorts –yes, they were appropriate FYI!

This situation happened last Wednesday which ironically came immediately after the Sunday morning, I noticed yet again how some young females were dressed in our church for morning worship. Before I go any further let me share with you I am not a judge. I am however a HUGE observer…

It has been on my heart over the last year that as a Christian woman how I present myself matters to the Lord. (That topic is a whole ‘nother post!) What tone of voice I use, what expressions I make, what mood I am in/portray, how I think about situations, my actions, and how I dress should all represent Christ in me -not me alone in my own flesh.

Now, let me tell you…my family wears jeans on a regular basis! (I mean we ARE southern! )We are not some fancy-smancy group, and I’m far from a fashionista (though I would often like to be and I have a deep affection for glamorous things - to an extent). Still, mom taught us you wear your best to church. Now, I am not saying we pulled out formal gowns for church…and I believe I rarely wore dresses on Wednesday nights. Let me tell you Sunday morning we wore the best of what God had provided us. Now for some folks jeans are their best. If you join my family for church this Sunday they’ll be a few folks in jeans...My brother maybe one of them! Yes, he still sits on the pew with our family...there is no shunning or shame involved. (P.S. if my brother is in jeans it is probably a very nice pair partnered with a dashing shirt! This relates to the whole idea of how your present yourself is what really matters.)

The point is to rejoice in our Heavenly Father. Scripture often speaks of being clothed in righteousness not our own but that of the Lord's. He provides it!
I hadn’t REALLY wanted to post about this debatable issue… until I read this blog post this week. It struck a chord with me. Since it touched on matters God had recently put on my heart and in my life, I knew it was meant to share. Please take the time to click the link above.  You may soon have a brand new perspective on the relevance of ‘church clothes’.
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