What NOT to wear after Labor Day.
Ok, so I’m not sure if you expected this post to be a change of direction from what I’ve been sharing with you lately, maybe take a turn towards fashion and style tips? Ah, no…although maybe in the future I may share some, after all you’ve got to dress for where you’re headed and not “wear” you are…see what I did there? Brilliant right?
Back to the point, conventional fashion norms say don’t wear white after Labor Day. I’m not exactly sure where that came from, but I’m pretty positive that whoever came up with that didn’t live in a desert that still has 93°+ temperatures after Labor Day. I will say this, whether you’re in white jeans, or not, pride is something that you do not want to get caught wearing no matter what time of year it is. Now, please don’t mistake pride with confidence.
Confidence is the healthy sense of dignity that we as children of God, should possess. It is the peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is enough, and that we are enough because of Christ’s sufficiency. Confidence is what causes us to excel and when lived out in relationship to God’s way of doing things, it becomes the attitude that separates mediocrity from excellence.
Pride on the other hand, is not a good fashion statement no matter how you dress it up. The book of James has this to say about a prideful person…
“God resists the proud…” James 4:6 (NKJV)
According to James, pride describes:
- those who resent criticism
- those who are insecure
- those who cannot laugh at themselves
- those whose need of praise is constant
- those who tend to blame others for their problems
- those who cannot bear not getting the credit for the good they did
- those who have an insatiable need to prove themselves
Listen, we all fit into one, if not most, of the categories I just listed. But take heart! I just described virtually every person whom God has ever used!
See, like picking out an outfit to wear, pride is a choice, and thankfully, so is humility. Look at what James has to say about those who clothe themselves in humility:
“…but [God] gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 (NKJV)
According to James, humility describes:
- One who is not proud or arrogant regardless of their level of success
- One who is low in self importance, rank or status
- One who is courteous and respectful to all
- One who is postured to either climb up or climb down at the request of God.
In other words, a humble heart will not assume the recognition, but when God gives it, will walk in it with quiet confidence. What this attitude asserts is the fact that we recognize promotion, “climbing up”, only comes from our Heavenly Father. And, the same principle applies when we are made low, we don’t require the recognition, we recognize that the glory belongs to God.
A humble heart is a heart that can truly serve God’s purpose. A humble heart chooses to do the right thing, not out of a need for recognition, or seeking glory for itself, but because it is the right thing to do. A humble heart sincerely serves.
I find it incredible that God uses an ordinary thing like humility to make our lives extraordinary. In the book of James, God promises grace to the humble, and Luke hallmarks a similar principle in his gospel:
“For those who exalt themselves, will be humbled, and those who humble themselves, will be exalted” Luke 14:11 (NLT)
The choice is ours, we can wear pride, or humility. Choosing humility keeps your life in position to be exalted, and remember that in God’s Kingdom, often the way up, is down.
After all, we have a great role model; Jesus himself had to make the choice for humility, and we see the principle of God doing extraordinary things with a humble heart:
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…though he was God…he gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position; he humbled himself in obedience to God…therefore God elevated him to the place of highest honor…” Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT) (paraphrase added)
This week I challenge you to clean out your closet and wear the best style~humility! After all, our confidence in all we do, is that Jesus gets the glory. He deserves the credit, and we get to enjoy the benefits. That sounds like a reason to celebrate, everyday!
Live extraordinarily!
Jared
