Alouse: Nicole how do you feel about this topic? Do you think that your image defines
who you are as a person and a child of God?
Nicole: Wow, well as a woman this is a difficult subject, in many ways I love to look good, no... in a lot of ways. Trying to keep up with the latest fashions, looking at other people and judging there attire, its definitely a tricky one. But after our discussion, with God taking care of our needs, both food and clothing, I'm starting to look at it with a different perspective. I think caring for ourselves is a good thing, we shouldn't look crazy, but putting our emphasis on how much something is and judging ourselves too critically is the challenge. What are your thoughts on fashion and image?
Alouse: My thoughts on fashion and image, I feel that, what you wear should not define you. What you see on the outside shouldn't be more important than what's in the inside. I've met so many women that are beautiful on the outside, but when you get to know them, their personalities didn't match their looks. People judge your looks, but God cares about my heart.
Nicole: Yea, I agree, some of the most beautiful people that I've met, had nothing to do with their outer appearances, but everything to do with their personality and pleasant spirits. I love when I can meet just a genuine person, not necessarily trying to keep up with having the latest things, but just a genuine, loving person. I would rather spend time with someone that is real any day. Sometimes when you try to keep up a front, relationships don't seem as real. What do you think?
Alouse: I agree. Don't get me wrong physical appearance is important to God, in that it reveals the glory of his creative abilities. We should definitely appreciate the beauty that God has given us, but we should not make that our number one priority, because it does affect our personality when we focus more on appearances than people and Christ. I agree though, I would rather spend time with someone that is humble, and not worried so much about their beauty.
Nicole: So do we think that image defines us? I'd say we can take time to make ourselves presentable, and even enjoy the life that God has given us by caring for our bodies. It is His temple, and we should take care for it. But, I also believe that sometimes we can get caught up with trying to look the best, or compare ourselves to other people.
Alouse: Amen to that, Matthew 23:12 says for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. And James 4:6 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So our outward appearance shouldn't be our main focus. For example, if the reason we try to be perfect as far as our weight, the best clothes we wear, how our makeup looks, if we are doing these things to impress other people, then our physical appearance becomes a prideful matter. "Oh look at me," to try to be accepted, trying hard to look a certain way for the world, versus making our selves look good because I'm a child of God, I'm beautiful in Christ. We have to watch out for anything that draws ourselves away from God.
Nicole: Wow, that was beautifully put. Its definitely a balance. Reading scripture there are so many verses in regards to giving our possessions away, and giving, and taking care of the poor, and not living for possessions. We live in a world that emphasizes treating yourself, and not feeling bad about it, living it up, and oh yea give when you can. Honestly, something tells me that's not the kind of heart we should have. I'm not against name brand clothing, a lot of times those things are made with better quality materials and the like, and you can even find a lot of things for discount or thrift stores, so I think its possible to attain things different ways. But I think it's a heart matter, opposed to if I should own it or not. We should be willing at any point to part with things, they shouldn't be used to define us. God defines us, our relationship with Him defines us, we should live our lives to His glory not our own.
Alouse: Yea, Yea, Yea lol I totally agree. The thing that God has shown us, His own amazing power and beauty, we should be humbled! If God has shown us what beauty is, we should want to resemble that, not the beauty that the world says is beauty. There are consequences to world beauty, people can literally worship their beauty rather than the Creator of beauty. ( Breaks into praise song: For your glory I will do anything, Just to see you, to behold as my king, I wanna be where you are, I gotta be where you are, peace is where you are, joy is where you are)
Nicole: So in all, we can have peace in knowing that our image is not defined outwardly, but inwardly. So lets not put the world's expectations over God's.
Alouse: We would like to know your thoughts? Does your image define who you are?
Nice girl talk! I guess you could say sometimes I've been known to do the reverse, for e.g the other day I was going to a moms night out with a bunch of moms that I had never met (with the exception of the mom who invited me), I was very careful of the attire I chose because I didn't want to "stand out" too much so to speak. In the end, all the moms kinda confessed that they all chose the "humble" route but we agreed that for the next outing we were going to bring it! Just for the fun of it. They were all pretty cool mamas!
ReplyDeleteLol! Awwww how nice! And I agree! Typically moms don't really get an overload of chances to take it back to the glory days, lol. So you all have fun with that one! Enjoy! :) :) :)
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