What do you think about when you buy an article of clothing?
I recently lost my glasses and had to buy a new pair and realized just how much went into my decision. Do I want the thick black framed, Buddy Holly glasses? Do I want the Sarah Palin frameless glasses? Do I want the circular John Lennon glasses? In an attempt to avoid lame trendiness the non-conformist in me picked out non of the above. In the days after picking my glasses I surprisingly found out that many different people had nearly the same pair I had. In trying to assert my individuality, I became just like everybody else.
The reality is that it is impossible to truly be an individual – even if you are a dorky, emo-hipster, with preppy tendencies… As an old ska band once said, “You sunk your worth in being different- just to be like your own kind.”
I have found that what I think I choose for myself has really already been chosen for me. My designer wire frame glasses, target brown cargo shorts, aussie hair gel, payless flip flops, and thrift-shop baby blue t-shirt : these attempts to distinguish myself from the other 6.7 billion people in the world are both futile and naive. As the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” says:
Though I hate to become a cliche… just another minion among many, it is impossible to avoid.
But thankfully we are not the sum of what we wear, but true individuality is found in the love of God. To be justified by faith means that God loves us in the midst of our futile, self-justifying attempts to make ourselves into somebody. Though we try endlessly to fit in and carve out a niche where we think we’ll feel comfortable, God endlessly loves us all the more.
COMMENTS
2 responses to “Individuality, Fashion, and the Gospel”
Leave a Reply
Great Post Todd! So what kind of glasses did you end up buying? Maybe a pair of the Christian shades Josh is pushing.
black, wire-rimed glasses from Sears (2 for $99).
I wish I had bought Josh’s glasses! Although instead of John 3:16 on it, I’d have…
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,