What’s Your Style?

Ek post vandag iets wat deur Victoria Osteen geskryf is.

Dis vir al die pragtige en stylvolle vroue in my lewe! Dis vir my ongelooflik mooi, veral die sin wat ek ge-bold het; dit is vir my so 'n mooi beskrywing van wat skoonheid is - en iets om na te streef.

What’s Your Style?
by Victoria Osteen

Have you ever taken one of those multiple-choice style quizzes in a magazine or online? It’s interesting how they can ask ten, or so, random little questions like, "What’s your favorite color?" or "Where did you last go on vacation?" and at the end, give you a surprisingly accurate synopsis of your personality and an overview of your fashion style. Somehow, it seems that in less than five minutes, they know more about you than your best friend! If only the other areas of our lives could be figured out so easily!

As women, we are born with an innate desire to express ourselves through our style. I can remember when I was a little girl, no one had to tell me to play in my mother’s makeup or jewelry; I just did it. It came naturally. I loved to put on her lipstick and necklaces. I felt so grown up and beautiful—even though that lipstick was anywhere on my face but my lips! No one ever had to tell me to pick out pretty dresses, and twirl around in them. And, as I grew up, no one had to tell me to love shopping, either!

It’s no secret. Most women do love to shop. Whether we buy anything or not, we can find satisfaction just in the experience. But, have you ever been shopping with a friend, trying to help them pick out clothes and they say, "Oh that’s not me." Or "That is so me!" Women naturally want to make sure their clothing style accurately reflects who they are. Have you ever noticed that men don’t talk like that when they buy clothes? In most cases, they aren’t saying things like, "That is so me!" or "I feel fabulous in this!" They are buying clothes first and foremost out of necessity, and either the item they see fits the bill, or it doesn’t. Women dress according to their mood and feelings, men dress according to the facts, what they need to wear that day. That’s why men will never understand when a woman stares at her closet full of clothes and exclaims, "I have nothing to wear!" What she’s really saying is, "I can’t find anything that I feel comfortable in today."

But have you ever thought that God created you that way for a purpose? Webster’s defines "style" as a distinctive manner of expression or behavior. Yes, we have our own fashion style in the natural, but did you know that we have a spiritual style, too? Just as you want to feel comfortable in your clothes in the natural, God wants you to feel comfortable in your spiritual clothes, too. He put something deep on the inside of you to recognize when you’re wearing something that just "isn’t you." For example, Isaiah 61 talks about wearing a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. The bible also talks about wearing a robe of righteousness and a garment of salvation. We should recognize that any time we are feeling weighted down by the pressures of life, anytime we start feeling like we don’t measure up, any time we feel overwhelmed we should take one look at our spiritual mirror, the Word of God, and say, "Oh that’s not me at all!"” We need to take off those old, dirty garments of self-defeating thoughts and put on garments of peace, righteousness, praise, and love.

I love what is says in I Peter 3:3-5. It says that as women, we shouldn’t just focus all of our efforts on our external appearance, but we should remember that our inward appearance, our heart, is our most important accessory. It tells us that we should focus on having a gentle and peaceful spirit, we shouldn’t be anxious or easily upset, but we should reflect the character and style of God. Peter’s basically saying, "Listen, I know you women love to dress up, but let’s keep things in perspective. Let’s follow the example of the faithful women of days gone by who took care of their external appearance and their internal appearance."

Remember, true beauty isn’t about what you look like, it’s the experience you leave with the people you encounter on a daily basis. Think about a beautiful song. You can’t see it, but yet it touches your inner being. In the same way, we should deposit good things into the lives of others. Do people leave your presence better off than they were before? The scripture tells us that when we bring Good News to others, even our feet are beautiful!

Make the choice today to allow the character and style of God to flow through you. Look for ways to do something beautiful in the lives of the people you encounter today. As you do, you’ll feel His garments cover your heart, and you will move forward in confidence knowing that His style is reflected in you.