“What shall I wear?”
April 2, 2022
Deciding what to wear on any given occasion is not necessarily an easy task. And there’s something about the change of seasons to springtime that makes those decisions even more difficult. What style and color goes best with our hair, eyes, or figure? What is better to buy, something durable or something trendy? Should a dry cleaning only garment be purchased or left hanging on the rack? I have a friend who refuses to buy any “dry clean only” clothing because the dry cleaning bill adds to the cost of the garment.
However, as difficult as it can be sometimes to decide what to wear, there’s a tiny piece of fabric that can be very helpful in the decision making process—a clothing label! Clothing labels are one of the best marketing tools available in the garment industry because they reveal the designer, the size, and the care instructions for the fabric. They have the power to make some serious fashion statements!
In 1972, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established the Care Labeling Rule, clothing labels were required to reveal a brand name and at least one safe cleaning method for the garment. From that point on, selling items without care labels would be considered deceitful and unfair to consumers. They are very helpful to the consumer in determining if a garment needs to be dry cleaned, hand washed, or if the piece of clothing contains certain dyes or fibers that might cause a rash. Interestingly enough, according to one study, four out of five consumers actually read care labels before buying clothing and then they follow label instructions when laundering their garments.
Because the label is required, another factor has to be considered. What kind of label is best? Printed or woven? Printed clothing tags are inexpensive but they fade after several washings. How helpful then is a label that fades? Clearly the better choice is a woven label which is more durable and goes far in advertising designer clothing in particular.
The Bible has something to say about our wardrobe-not the wardrobe of the world, but the wardrobe of the Word. In Colossians 3, Paul suggests that there are certain pieces of spiritual clothing we need to take off, and certain pieces of spiritual clothing we need to put on. If we have a relationship with Christ, we need to take off some inappropriate “clothing”.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Further in the same chapter, Paul encourages us as to what we need to put on instead,
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
If a clothing label were sewn on the back of your spiritual wardrobe, would the label, whether printed or woven, advertise that you belong to the Designer? Would your spiritual wardrobe proclaim compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and above all, love?