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Beauty Day 13
My Favorite Dress

September 21, 2016 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 3:23-29
Colossians 3:1-17
1 Peter 5:1-9

my-favorite-dress-moI will never forget my favorite dress as a little girl.  My mother’s best friend asked me to be the flower girl in her wedding, and the dress she chose for me was a deep royal blue.  Looking back, I don’t really remember the wedding ceremony or what anyone else was wearing, but I remember every detail of that dress.  It was delicate and lovely and perfect, and I felt so grown up in it.  When I put it on, complete with tights and shiny shoes, I knew I looked beautiful.
I loved the swish of the skirt as I twirled.
The gentle rustle of material as I walked.
The way my eyes picked up the deep blue.
The way my dad would smile when he saw me prancing around in it.
When I was wearing that dress, I felt…different.
I was still the same me, but…  More, somehow.

As a teenager, my default attire consisted of jeans, a simple tee and a sweatshirt when I wasn’t in costume for plays or musicals.  Comfort was key, and I didn’t spend much time on dresses, skirts, or anything more than casual attire.  I can’t remember a favorite anything from those years, honestly.

It’s probably expected that as a woman, my favorite dress would be my wedding gown, but strangely, that is not the case.  I loved my wedding gown, and it is a gorgeous piece, but it is not the one that comes to mind.  My favorite dress is simple, elegant, and black.  It doesn’t bear a designer label and never bore a hefty price tag.  It doesn’t reveal much skin and it isn’t skin-tight.  (Well, it probably would be skin-tight on my currently 8 month pregnant body, but it didn’t use to be!)

I remember the first time I tried it on.  My husband’s annual work gala was approaching, and I needed something more formal to wear.  I was newly pregnant with our first, and the forgiving fit didn’t make me self-conscious about my growing bump.  I loved the modest but classy flair, and I remember thinking that for the first time in my life, I looked content.
I have never considered myself an incredibly fashion-forward person, but this dress hit the mark.  My husband loved it, and I remember feeling so happy that I had found that dress!  We had recently recommitted our lives to Jesus and I had been feeling rather isolated as God led us out of some damaging relationships and situations. I was feeling rather nervous about the upcoming gala, but I felt confident in that dress.  I haven’t worn it in a few years and babies, but it hangs in the back of my closet, zipped gently in a dry-cleaning bag to protect it from dust.

Ring any bells?  I know we all have that one item tucked away for memory and hope’s sake.

It is no accident that as Paul describes what our new lives should look like in Colossians, he uses the imagery of clothing to reach our hearts.  He could have used any number of other visuals, but the fact of the matter is that
what we choose to wear is a direct reflection of our heart condition.

As God’s chosen people, we have put on Christ.  We should not resemble the world any longer.  Instead, our demeanors should reflect our hearts:

Chosen.  Holy.  Beloved.
Compassionate.  Kind.  Humble.
Meek.  Patient.  Bearing together.
Forgiving.  Loving.  Peaceful.  Thankful.

How often do we forget that our clothing choices, both physical and spiritual, are mirroring our Savior?  Paul charges us to set our hearts and minds on the spiritual, and to put to death the ways of the flesh.  This requires not only a choice, but action as well.

My own heart condition at different points in my life is apparent as I reflect on my favorite dresses or outfits.  As a little girl, my innocence and naivety is obvious.  As a teen, my rebellion and apathy reigned for many years as my heart was irreverent and disrespectful. That translated to my clothing choices…or rather the lack thereof.  As a married woman, my hope and desire to make my husband proud while brimming with nerves and excitement over our first baby are clear to see.

As followers of Jesus, our heart conditions should make it obvious that we have put on Christ.

As we clothe ourselves in Him by staying in His Word and nourishing our relationship with Him, our hearts will grow more transparent and reflect Him more accurately.  And as we begin to reflect Him better, our favorite “dresses” might become our spiritual clothes instead.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Beauty Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Beauty!

Posted in: Beauty, Clothed, Design, Flawless, Handiwork, Jesus, Love, Made New, Significance Tagged: beauty, character, dress, heart, love, wear

Beauty Day 8
For the Beauty of Love

September 14, 2016 by Kendra Kuntz Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13
Galatians 5:13-14
Mark 12:30-31

attachment-1-5Hot, fresh tears stung my eyes as the four walls of the dressing room seemed to close in on me. As quickly as I put the shirt on, I ripped it off of my body, practically throwing it at my mom on the other side of the door. If the shirt wasn’t too tight, it was too short, too low, too sheer, or just plain ugly. I had been here a thousand times before, but the tears still came every time. Trying to dress my uniquely-shaped body left me overwhelmed and exhausted. My grandma always told me that “Pretty is as pretty does”, but I wanted to feel beautiful on the outside.

That was long ago, and while the desire to feel beautiful on the outside hasn’t left, I have learned so much about beauty flowing from the love in our hearts.

Love.

As passionate lovers of Jesus, we are called to love God and love others.
What does this love for others even look like?
This love…
It’s patient.
It’s kind.
It doesn’t envy.
It doesn’t boast.
It isn’t arrogant.
It’s not rude.
It isn’t easily angered.
It isn’t selfish.
It isn’t irritable.
It isn’t resentful.

When we learn to love as Jesus loved (because, after all, He is love), then we strive to be patient and kind, to not envy or boast, to knock out our arrogance and rudeness, we pray away anger and selfishness, and practice not being irritable or resentful.

But unlike the hottest new trend, the cutest skinny jeans, or latest graphic mom t-shirt, we can’t just wake up one morning, decide we want to look beautiful on the inside, and instantly love everyone.

That kind of beauty takes time.

And while we strive to be more like Christ, that inward beauty comes naturally. It shows in everything we do, from the way we approach situations, to the way we react to bad news; from the way we treat the slow cashier, to the way we dress.

Yes, even the way we dress.

Ponder that for a minute.

When we love others,
we become beautiful on the inside,
which flows to the outside,
and comes across even in the way we clothe ourselves.

Think of the ten attributes of love mentioned above.
How many of those attributes do we as women struggle with when we get dressed every morning?
When love fills us to overflowing, there is no room to be envious of the body our friend’s sister has.
With love, there is no room to boastfully dress for others by trying to show off our fleek style. Dressed in love, there is no room to arrogantly show off the features of our body that we love the most or feel the most proud of.

We will never perfectly “wear” these attributes of love.
But because of our love for Jesus,
and our desire to love others because of Jesus,
we should never be content with where we are.

Like finding pleasure in shopping for new threads, our passion to reflect Christ should take up closet space in our hearts. When we lean into His love, we reflect Him clearer, which makes our hearts more beautiful. The more beautiful our hearts become, the more that beauty will overflow into our outward appearance!

Our love for Jesus directly reflects our beauty!
Our love for Jesus directly reflects how we dress!
That is beautiful, and that…that is love.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Safe Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Beauty!

Posted in: Beauty, Broken, Clothed, Design, Enough, Flawless, Fullness, Handiwork, Jesus, Life, Love, Meaning, Peace, Purpose, Shame, Significance, Strength Tagged: beauty, clothing, dress, Jesus, love, others, people, respect, significance

Beauty Day 6
Strong

September 12, 2016 by Merry Ohler 3 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 31:10-31
1 Peter 2
Ephesians 6:10-18
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

strongA massacre.
Scores of people murdered.  Even more wounded.
Horror.  Anger.  Outrage.  Fear. Isolation.

Small words that do little justice to the ocean of virulent emotions gripping so many in the United States after a violent nightmare unfolded in Orlando in June. Regardless of differing perspectives, world-views, and political lines, a few truths stand alone in the wake of tragedies like the Orlando shooting, like September 11th, and other acts of violence across our nation.

Lives were taken.  Cut short.
Hearts left beating are now broken and bleeding.  Stuttering along, they will feel out their new, grief-colored cadence, as they attempt to reconcile with a new reality that does not include a loved one.
Regardless of location, color, creed or lifestyle, we are all affected by human tragedy.
As we should be. But does beauty play a role here?

In studying Proverbs 31 and the traits of a godly woman, I keep returning to this question:
What do strength and dignity look like in the face of violence and ugliness?

I know what they don’t look like.
They don’t look like judgment.
They definitely don’t look like apathy.
They don’t look like an advantage in a political chess game.  

But what do they look like? Tangibly, what do strength and dignity look like in the face of tragedy when values are also at play? How do we put on Christ’s beauty when we strongly disagree, when our prejudices rise up?

Strength and dignity look like love and respect.
They look like empathy.
They look like compassion for the hurting and broken.
They look like Jesus, Almighty with skin on, because that’s Who we follow.

Easy to say, but in practice, it’s not always so simple, especially when emotions run high and battle lines are drawn. Whether it’s between groups of people or individual relationships around us, we as Christ-followers, are called to love beautifully and genuinely as we are clothed in His dignity and strength.

I am struck by the psalmist’s wording, “…she dresses herself with strength…”, and am drawn to Ephesians 6, where I am reminded that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (other than perhaps our own), but against the spiritual forces of evil.  We aren’t required to be strong on our own because He is strong for us.  Instructions for clothing ourselves in His strength are clearly outlined:

Put on the full armor of God, that we might stand firm.
Pray at all times in the Spirit.

We don’t have to feel helpless to love others, to put on beauty, or to respect people we don’t agree with, when we remember these words and put His instructions into practice.  When we are wearing His armor of truth, righteousness, peace, salvation and His Word, we will act and speak as ambassadors for our Jesus.
His Word will be in us, and His love will be our language.
Now more than ever, we must press in, drinking His words and cultivating our relationships with Him
so we can wear His beauty with bold love!

As we begin to walk in His strength and acknowledge our identity as one of His chosen people, dignity becomes a natural byproduct of that obedience.  Often the idea of having dignity is mistaken for being prideful or arrogant of oneself, when in reality, dignity is acknowledging who we are and respecting that identity.  When we acknowledge who we are (a chosen people, a royal priesthood, charged with carrying the love and Word of our Father to all) and begin to walk in that identity, we begin to respect ourselves (and those around us) through our words, actions and lives.

As we’ve walked through tragedies and witnessed hate crimes and random shootings… we must remember that these are the opportunities for beauty and grace to be made known in us! Not in our power, but in the One who makes us Beautiful in His Strength!

Lord, help us to put on your full armor every day.  Help us to pray continually, and to remember that no matter the name or face man pins to the evil we see, our battle is not with flesh and blood.
Father, heal our land.
Heal our relationships.
Heal our hearts.
Make us live out Beauty in a world of Broken, as we rely on Your Strength!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Beauty Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Beauty!

Posted in: Beauty, Bold, Clothed, Dignity, Faith, God, Grace, Healing, Help, Hope, Love, Strength Tagged: beauty, dignity, dress, grace, love, respect, strength, wear

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14