A Firm Foundation

Yesterday I started with a red necklace. I put that on first. I easily found a white blouse to go with it. But then the bottoms. What should I wear on my bottom half? In my undies I walked from closet to dresser to laundry basket (yes, a lot of my clothes get worn strait from the clean laundry pile!) Nothing. My favorite capris were in the wash. I didn't feel like wearing a skirt. I could imagine all sorts of clothes I would like to wear. The problem was I didn't own any of them. Finally I settled on a pair of little worn khaki crop pants. They would do nicely. A little make-up, a brush through the hair, some new Merrel Sandals, and I was off.

That was relatively painless, but I have a strange habit of dressing around my accessories. I'll pick out a necklace or something and work from that. But then there are the days I start with my bra. I'll grab one of my bras and put it on, not thinking of the color until it's too late. The other day it was black. Black is a very limiting color for a bra! And I have this stubborn streak that says, "Once you put on a bra, you don't take it off." So what happens next? I rummage through my piles pulling out anything that might work, trying and tossing the clothes into a new pile. It's a lot of work to match your clothes when you're committed to your foundation. (I feel a God analogy coming on...if we have God as our firm foundation that means it's going to be a bit more difficult to find things that "fit" our lives in this world. I mean, we dress from the inside out with God, rather than from the outside in!).


I finally donned a brown and black patterned tank. And then it was onto the pants. I have issues with pants. We don't usually get along. I think it's because I've never been in love with all of the parts of my body that pants cover. So to find a pair of pants that fits and feels well is almost a miracle. It's a daily challenge for me to walk out of my dressing area and declare myself "good enough." For years I would berate myself in front of the mirror, cutting down any imperfection. But God's been working on me. I'm a lot nicer to myself than I used to be. I used to have a closet full of clothes that would look stylish on me when I lost 10 pounds. Now I have a closet with clothes that I actually enjoy wearing right now. I used to degrade myself, thinking that was accomplishing something. Now I look in the mirror and, while still critical, think about all the wonderful things God has done with my body. It birthed 2 children. It rode 800 miles across Australia. It keeps up with a spitfire 15 month old. To God be the glory, he gave me good health and an active life. And this body, decorated or not, is the vehicle that is taking the ride.

Find some things about your body that have done great things. Thank God for them. Find some pretty clothes. Wear your nice things to more than just special occasions. Create your own special occasions if you need to. We have more control over how we feel about our bodies than we realize.