Tricia Edwards
Psst! Hey, there! It’s me, again! Why, yes, I’m back to share from my brain and heart to yours! When it hit me what I would share, I got so excited! Okay, I LOVE fashion, clothes, shoes, jewelry… the whole shebang! There is something I do at times on social media and that is to post the #ootd or “outfit of the day.” It just lights me up to inspire and share my love for all things fashion to my many many followers. (All 615 of them currently – LOL!)
Before I REALLY get started, I thought I would share a few famous quotes about getting dressed:
“Dress like you own the bank,
not like you need a loan from it.”
“Dressing well is a form of good manners.”
“Dress how you want to be addressed.”
“Life is too short to wear boring clothes.”
“Never wear anything that panics the cat.”
To give you a bit of a background, my grandmother was a true southern belle, full of class and dignity. She would get up every morning and get dressed for the day. I’m talkin’ a “slacks and blouse” kind of outfit, hair done, full makeup, jewelry, and shoes (even if just staying home). I don’t know that I ever saw her wear slippers or stay in her robe or pajamas for the day. I always admired her for that and knew that it was important to her. She was very instrumental in my love for fashion.
There are many reasons why we get “dressed.” We get dressed because #1, it’s not legal to go out and not be dressed. Secondly, we dress to shield our body from the weather elements, and we get dressed for beauty.
Thinking on this, my mind shifted to the spiritual meaning of getting dressed, which is just as important, or more than, getting dressed in the natural. We need our spiritual clothing on at all times.
2 Corinthians 5:1-3 paints a picture of comparing our earthly and heavenly bodies and ends with the need for the body to be clothed.
“Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they will last forever. While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.” (CEV)
We all have earthly clothes and spiritual clothes. It shows in our actions and attitudes. Sometimes… well, it’s just not a good-looking outfit. Have you ever said to someone (or thought to yourself VERY loudly), “Oh, HONEY, you should NOT go out looking like that!”?
Let’s dive in and take a look at the spiritual articles of clothing that are vital to our Christian walk.
Colossians 3:8-14 – “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these; anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 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. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
This Scripture is really speaking on how we treat others. When we come to Christ, we take off our worldly outfit and put on our new Godly outfit. The worldly clothes are things like anger, rage, malice, and filthy language. We are admonished to take them off and put on the new clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, etc. Our daily outfit should look more and more like Jesus.
So, get rid of all those clothes that don’t fit that are hanging in your closet. Ladies, you know, that range of 10 different sizes, “just in case.”
There is nothing more fun to me than getting a new outfit, except maybe Disney World and going to the beach. But, you know what I mean. In Spring and Fall, I purge and give away clothes that didn’t serve me well or that I just didn’t wear, so that I can make room for the new incoming outfits. (Kevin, are you seeing this?)
The adversary will try to lure you back to those old, comfortable clothes. But, don’t give in! God has provided us with unique spiritual armor to withstand these temptations.
Ephesians 6:10-17 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
A brief synopsis of what each piece represents will give revelation of the importance and how it can help us daily!
The belt – God is truth! Tie the truth around us firmly. The belt keeps our spiritual outfit together.
The breastplate – I am the righteousness of God through Christ. We need to display right living!
The shoes – The shoes are the preparation, or readiness, originating from the gospel of peace. Shoes protect our walk. (I DEFINITELY find peace with a great pair of shoes!)
The shield of faith – This enables us to extinguish the enemy’s flaming missiles. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God.
The helmet of salvation – When we put on the helmet of salvation, we put on Christ, Himself, which will protect our spiritual mindset.
The sword of the Spirit – This represents the Word of God. It is the only piece of the armor that is both defensive and offensive. Like some clothing, it’s reversible!
We should wear things like love, compassion, and kindness in dealing with others, and the Armor of God when dealing with the enemy.
In the same way we scrutinize our attire for any imperfections before stepping out, ensuring every button and zipper is in its place and nothing is amiss, we should apply the same level of diligence to our spiritual outfit. Do you take the time each morning and make sure that you are appropriately dressed in your spiritual #OOTD, or do you run out the door spiritually disheveled or naked?
The whole idea of spiritual clothing boils down to walking in faith, hope, and love. If I’m paying attention at all to what I’m doing and to what God is telling me, I’ll know if that’s how I’m walking. And God will tell me what adjustments to make if I’m not.
Go ahead, look in the mirror, and take notice! Are you dressed and ready for the day? I know you could go to Walmart in that “comfy” outfit, but do you really want to only fit in with the crowd? Just as I post the #OOTD with hash tags pointing to each piece of clothing, we must point the way to God in how we are representing Him every day – physically and spiritually!
Tricia Edwards is a dynamic woman of many talents and a heart for service. As a mother, she brings warmth, love, and stability to her family. Together with her husband, Kevin, they pastor a church in Carterville, IL, which they planted over 12 years ago. As a pastor’s wife, she is a true partner to her husband, offering encouragement, support, and prayer to their church community. And together, they also co-host an inspiring weekly podcast called, WTF! – Walk the Faith. Tricia’s musical gifts are a blessing to all who hear her, as she uses her beautiful voice to lead worship and perform at special events. She is also a talented comedian, using her quick wit and humor to bring joy and laughter to audiences everywhere. With her passion for spreading positivity and spreading the Word of God, Tricia is an inspiration to all who have the privilege of knowing her.
