It's Okay to Look Pretty for Yourself

BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:

"Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

~Proverbs 30:5

I woke up this morning and put on a blue skirt with a black v-neck t-shirt. A lot of people wouldn't think twice about what they dress themselves in on a day-to-day basis, but I've been thinking about it a lot more lately. With fall just around the corner, my favorite season for fashion begins, and the thought of that motivates me into trying to look nicer. But it's important to note here that I am not trying to look nice for anyone - I really don't have anyone in my life who I would want to dress up for, other than God. No, I want to dress up for myself, and therein lies an issue with today's world.

I can't count the amount of times I've put some effort into my appearance and another person (usually a girl), asks, "Oh, who are you all dressed up for?" And we all know what she means: Which guy in your life are you trying to impress? Here's a thought: Maybe I want to look nice for the sake of wanting to look nice. It doesn't have to be for anybody other than God. If I am dressing for myself and for God, than the right man will like what I'm wearing.

But the other problem is that girls and women don't think like that. They think about what society tells them, they think about what other girls who listen to society tell them, and then that's what they tell themselves. That twelve-year-old girl looks in the mirror and notices that if she isn't wearing the right thing to school, she won't be accepted or popular or won't land the boy of her dreams. Then here I am, almost twenty and a junior in college and I still struggle with knowing that it is okay to look pretty for me. And I use the term "pretty" to mean that we should look pretty in the way God made us.

My heart hurts for the women out there who constantly feel like they have to impress others, particularly men, for the sake of drawing some attention to their beauty and worth. Don't you know your worth is shown more deeply than ever by Christ's abounding love for us?

I didn't know that. But one great thing about college is that I have had a chance to be exactly who I want to be, and that woman isn't so afraid of her own personal wardrobe. She struggles with it, but she no longer fears it.

So the next time someone asks who you're trying to impress with your outfit of choice, let them know that you're doing it for yourself - or better yet, for God.

Your Laughing Sister,

Callahan

Check out the BEING GODLY WOMEN quotes page for more inspiration!