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Balanced & Beautiful
Dressing for the Glory of God
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PARADOX of the CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE
by Laurel Damsteegt, Part 2
Is the way you dress an index
of your character? Read this: “The dress and its arrangement
upon the person is generally found to be the index of the man or
the woman.”1
Well, then, don’t you have a pretty sure-fire way to judge the
character of everyone you meet? Hold on! Just because you know
that your outward appearance is an index of your character, you
have no right to judge others by what they wear! Jesus says, “Judge
not.”2 We can never know how the gentle Shepherd is leading
someone else. What He asks of you may be more than He has taught
me so far. We have not been called to be the conscience for
anyone else. The same God who is leading you can lead your
friends, as well.
“There are many who try to correct the life of others by
attacking what they consider are wrong habits. They go to those
whom they think are in error, and point out their defects. They
say, ‘You don’t dress as you should.’ They try to pick off
the ornaments, or whatever seems offensive, but they do not seek
to fasten the mind to the truth. Those who seek to correct
others should present the attractions of Jesus. They should talk
of His love and compassion, present His example and sacrifice,
reveal His Spirit, and they need not touch the subject of dress
at all. There is no need to make the dress question the main
point of your religion. There is something richer to speak of.
Talk of Christ, and when the heart is converted, everything that
is out of harmony with the Word of God will drop off.”3
Judge not!
We cannot afford to judge people by what they wear. Where did
Jesus look when He feasted with the harlots and publicans?
Certainly not on external appearance! We need to learn to focus
on hearts, just as Jesus did. He saw their needs and their
longings, and ministered to their hurts with a tender, genuine
love. He saw possible citizens for God’s kingdom everywhere,
and looked beyond the outside, to minister to their hearts.4
A paradox
As Christians, we must not
judge others by their outward appearance. At the same time, we
have a responsibility to show Christ to others by the way we
dress. This is the paradox of the Christian lifestyle: We dare
not judge others by the way they look, yet we dare not become a
stumbling block to others by our own appearance. Though others
cannot read our hearts, they can read our clothes, our
hairstyle, and our makeup. Our outward appearance makes a
powerful statement for Christ. If we say we are Christians, then
people have a right to see Christ’s modesty and simplicity
reflected in us. And this includes our appearance. We must not
give a confusing picture.
To sum it up, we do not have the right to judge others by their
appearance, but others have the right to expect to see Christ
reflected in our behavior and appearance. This is the way the
Christian life works.
1. Ellen White, Child Guidance, page 413.
2. Matthew 7:1.
3. White, Evangelism, page 272. Compare Child Guidance, page
429: “Talk of the love and humility of Jesus, but do not
encourage the brethren and sisters to engage in picking flaws in
the dress or appearance of one another. Some take delight in
this work; and when their minds are turned in this direction,
they begin to feel that they must become church tinkers. They
climb upon the judgment seat, and as soon as they see one of
their brethren or sisters, they look to find something to
criticize. This is one of the most effectual means of becoming
narrow-minded and dwarfing spiritual growth. God would have them
step down from the judgment seat, for He has never placed them
there.”
4. Matthew 21:31, 32.
Part 1
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| 5 | 6 | 7
| 8 | 9 | 10
| 11 | 12 | 13
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