By Robin Sam
IF you read Matthew 6, there are 3 things that Jesus Christ tells us we should not worry about in verse 31. ‘Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
In other words, Jesus is saying: Do not worry about your sustenance and your appearance. We eat and drink to sustain ourselves. We clothe ourselves not only to cover nakedness and protect ourselves from sun, rain and snow but also to project a certain image. You may not realize it every time you put on some dress. The old adage clothes maketh the man is true.
Why should we not worry about our appearance? Because, no matter what we wear people around us see the inner man through our words and actions. You may dress up like a saint but if you do not keep the brute within you under check, it’s only a matter of time before the animal inside of you is exposed. American writer Anthony Marra is reported to have said once: “We wear clothes, and speak, and create civilizations, and believe we are more than wolves. But inside us there is a word we cannot pronounce and that is who we are.”
Someone once said this and it is a quotable quote: ‘It is not about the dress you wear but the life you lead in the dress.’ True, isn’t it?
When you think of simplicity, is there anything else to beat the loincloth worn by Mahatma Gandhi and the habit worn by Mother Teresa? On September 22 in 1921, Gandhi decided to discard his suit and tie and don a loincloth which remained his attire till he die.
On Amazon: 16 Hours in Heaven| Read an excerpt
Some people dress to impress others. They think they have to dress a certain way or wear certain expensive labels to prove they are rich or have arrived. What they do not realize is those who are truly rich don’t fret too much about their clothes. Take for instance, Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates. Although they do not wear cheap clothes, they do not dress to impress others. In fact, Zuckerberg has gone on record to say choosing to wear the same clothes (in colors and pattern) helped him save some mental energy. He does not stand before his wardrobe wondering what to wear to work.
I am sure not many women can afford to think like Zuckerberg. They cannot wear the same color and patterns every day to work but at the same time they need not work up worry lines on their forehead in deciding what to wear.
Audrey Hepburn, the late Hollywood actress and humanitarian, once said: “The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.”
Should you wear your clothes tight or loose is every young girl’s dilemma. To them, I want to retell the words made immortal by Edith Head, an American costume designer who won the Academy awards for a record eight times for best costume design. “Your dresses should be tight enough to show you are a woman and loose enough to show you are a lady!”
She nailed it!
