stylish

This past weekend marked the annual tax-free shopping weekend in our state.

My sweet friends from Starkville came over for some back-to-school errands, and after ten hours or so, I felt like we had absolutely manhandled our city.

You know what I'm sayin'?  Outrageous amounts of people.  Insane traffic.  Lines for the fitting rooms.

It takes it out of those of us who don't wear comfortable shoes you.

It was great to be with friends, though, and as a bonus, God really was gracious.  He provided some pretty incredible parking spaces throughout the day.

I also landed a couple of new wardrobe pieces, including this pair of potential game-day shoes:

(Thank you, Christmas VISA gift card.)

Speaking of new clothes, about a year ago, I confessed to feeling clothed in Christ because I was putting on this t-shirt, and not because I was putting on the biblical garments of our faith that Paul addresses in his letter to the Ephesians.

I wasn't representing Jesus to the world in the ways that matter, and I wondered if the Church might need to consider a corporate makeover.

After our shopping spree on Saturday, I was handed a sermon on this very issue on Sunday morning.

In Ephesians 4, Paul makes clear that for those of us who claim to have encountered Jesus, a new style should be evident in our lives, because we have "put on" attributes that reflect the character of Jesus (vv. 22 - 24).

Yesterday our pastor boiled those attributes down to these five:

Trustworthiness (v. 25)
Does my word mean something to others?  Am I speaking truth, avoiding half truths, exaggerations, and omissions?

Reasonableness (vv. 26 - 28)
Do I express righteous anger over injustices and oppression, or unrighteous anger when my personal agendas are frustrated?  Do I repeatedly play over in my head, or retell the stories, of "that time I was wronged?"

Encouragement (vv. 29-31)
Do I speak only to build up others, or do I employ sarcasm to bring others down? (Sarcasm always has a victim, he says. Ouch.)  Am I aware that everything I say has an impact on someone, and not just the person to whom I'm speaking?

Forgiveness (v. 32)
Do I really understand that I was forgiven long before I ever sinned?  Do I extend forgiveness quickly, or do I hold a record of wrongs?

Compassion (v. 32)

When I'm frustrated with someone, do I stop and consider what might've happened in their lives that very morning?  Are they grieving a loss?  Worried about a child?  In danger of losing a job?

When I juxtapose my style to the style that Jesus commands, I feel, well, pretty un-stylish.

But it's the purpose of sanctification, and the price of a life surrendered to the Great Stylist.

He is all about an extreme makeover.