Preparing to leave summer and enter into a new season reminds me of the transitions that we go through in our personal lives. Most of the times when a transition occurs, either we are digging deeper into our current season or about to transition into a new one. Are you prepared to transition well?
One of the main things that we have to adjust when a new season arrives is our wardrobe to be prepared for the shift in weather. Of the many questions we have to ask ourselves to prepare for the shift, we have to also ponder:
Do our clothes still fit?
Is our style still the same?
Have we outgrown our clothes but haven’t cleaned out our closets?
In my blog “Girl Where Do You Shop?” I talked about being clothe with strength and dignity.
Now that we know that every day we can be clothed in strength and dignity, let’s talk about the closet that you’re pulling the clothes from!
I have gained a little more weight than I would have liked. I have been attempting to be diligent with my physical activity to get the weight off but I am not as consistent as I would like to be. I have been holding on to the “pre-baby” clothes for years with the hope of getting back into them. Every time I pick out an outfit, I always look at the clothes in the “I can’t fit these section” and think "I hope to get back into them one day."
My point for giving you this story is for us to reference it when it comes to life events. Let’s go back to the initial questions I asked:
Do my clothes still fit? No
Is my style still the same? No
Have I outgrown my clothes but not cleaned out my closet? Yes
So, if we go back to the “Girl Where Do You Shop?” blog and take heed to clothing ourselves with strength and dignity that means some old clothes just won’t fit anymore. To be more frank,
Some old situations might not fit anymore.
Some old relationships, friendships, and connections might not fit anymore.
Some old behaviors and habits might not fit anymore.
Some old mindsets might not fit anymore.
Moreover, if we hold on to these things, we might attempt to “fit” into them again. We may squeeze ourselves back into those clothes or, even worst, shop for more clothes in that same “style.” That can have us entering back into similar situations, relationships, friendships, connections, habits, behaviors, mindsets, etc.
Sis, when you made the decision to believe what God believed about you and live for Him, you became a new creature. As a new creature, your old, dead things are replaced with new things.
2 Corinthians 5:17
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Ironically, I was on the phone with a coworker that I met when I first moved to DC and I was expressing to her how I have been trying so hard to fit back into my “22-Year-old, DC clothes.” I told her sometimes it gets discouraging because I just look at them and it is a constant reminder that I have not reached my weight loss goal. Then, instead of me celebrating my small victories of how far I had come, I was almost condemning myself for not being where I want to be. Instead of celebrating progress, I was regressing by focusing on the negative. She reminded me that I am different person than I was then. My style is different, my body is different (I have had 2 babies ), and that I need to start new and fresh. That conversation encouraged me to go through my closet and do some cleaning.
I got rid of those clothes I had been holding on to for at least 5 years. I got rid of the dead weight—clothes that were just taking up space. I felt so free. There was also more room for me to shop for new fresh things. I now could actually take inventory and see the space that I had for new clothes. The opposite happened too. I was able to actually put my eyes on some of the awesome pieces I was walking pass in my closet every morning. I started to see the value again in some clothes I thought lost value.
Sis, clean out your closet. Evaluate the value in your current "wardrobe"! Get rid of those “clothes” (relationships, friendships, connections, habits, behaviors, mindsets, etc.) that you can’t fit anymore. Make room for more valuable pieces to be added to your closet.
Remember, the unique thing about this is that EVERYDAY we wear clothes. EVERYDAY! If the scripture says she is clothe in strength and dignity, this means EVERYDAY we are wearing strength and dignity. Get rid of anything in your closet (and your life) that does not make you feel clothe in strength and dignity.
Digging deeper into 2 Corinthians 5:17. As a new creation:
We are beginning a new life with Christ.
We get a fresh start with God offering us forgiveness of our sins.
We are brand new on the inside!
The Holy Spirit gives us life. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated — we are re-created, living in vital union with Christ.
We remove our natural pride, love of sin, reliance on our own works, and our former opinions, habits and passions then replace it with the true intent to do things the way God calls us to do them.
What we loved has passed away, especially the supreme love of self and with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification.
We look outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward self.
We strive to be obedient to the Word of God.
We are asking God to search our hearts and prune and pluck anything that is not of Him.