I was unbothered by repeatedly wearing same old black shirt until somebody noticed it and told me things that made me feel embarrassed of my appearance. I felt poor and pitied myself for a while until I remembered the realizations I learned through the years which led me to decide to endlessly wear black t-shirt.
The brand of the things I wear does not determine my worth.
I believe that even though a person put on a thrifted outfit or a luxury blouse, it does not alter his or her value to the ones that deeply love him or her. Perhaps some people label others by how expensive their possessions are which dictates how they treat them. Take for instance, when I was jobless after graduating from college I went to a department store to just window shop and when I started to leave the store, the security alarm rang. The security guard immediately opened my bag to check if I stole anything which was rude because I was the only one suspected while others just simply left the place. I looked impoverished because I was wearing century old faded top which abandoned by my sister and denim jeans which was awkwardly loose due to frequent washing. I looked incapable of buying a single thing while other customers seemed well-off.
I told my friend what happened and she said “Why did you let them treat you like that?” She was upset and I realized that the ones who truly care for you do not think as others do. My friend knew that I could not steal. She knew me on deeper level. When we start to get to know a person much deeper, their appearance and choice of clothes are not the things that we love about them but their character, their personality, their heart and soul.
When I wear black shirts everyday, my colleagues and other people who do not know me may laugh at me. They may talk about me behind my back saying “She does not change clothes” or “She only has one t-shirt.” But the affection of my family and real friends for me does not diminish whatever clothes I put on. The Lord also loves us not because of the clothes we wear. In fact He wants us to know that life is more than material things like clothing.
God has said,
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 NLT
He is not similar to our neighbors who judge us by the quality of our clothes we pick. For Him, clothes are not as important as our soul. We are more than the shirts that we wear. Our worth is never based on our skin-deep beauty. We are still God’s masterpiece even though we are wearing a rug.
To impress people is a waste of time.
As a teenager I used to give enormous importance to my appearance. Being an adolescent means being self-conscious. Young people crave acceptance from their peers and to be able to feel belong we should be pleasing to their eyes, trendy and fashionable. They seek their identity from the opinions of others. However, the older I get, the lesser I think of others’ perception of me and the need of others’ approval. As I grew mature, other people’s thoughts about me is not as important as my own thoughts about myself. I know myself better than any other human being. If you have a solid understanding of who you are according to your Maker, no heartbreaking words from others can alter your identity. Therefore, to impress people by trying to look cute or cool to gain compliments is a waste of time and money. Our beauty is not measured by the beauty of the attire we own.
It is also written in Proverbs 31:30,
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
It is more important to be rich than to look rich.
Years ago, I learned to spend my hard earned money wisely. I realized that buying clothes often to follow trends is impractical. Trend is quickly changing and the clothes you bought yesterday will not be wearable tomorrow. You are just throwing your money away. Thus, I only buy stuff that I can use for years. I rather look poor wearing just simple clothing but with enough savings in my bank account than look wealthy with high end clothes and accessories but drowning in debt.
Again, to impress anyone by trying to look rich is a waste of time and penny. Impress them by our character that does not fade.
Wearing same clothes often makes me less judgmental.
I am accustomed to a culture that wearing same clothes every time is embarrassing. We used to make fun of people who repeat their outfit all the time. We considered them poor and “kawawa” and being poor was something to be ashamed of. I grew up with a mentality that being impoverished or financially challenged is like having an embarrassing disease. It should be concealed. Therefore, we try to appear rich by wearing fancy stuff to show off. I realized by always wearing black shirt that it is okay to look poor. When I see people who wear broken slippers or shoes or worn-out shirts with holes, I learned not to look down on them as if they belong to lower class of society. What I can see are their vulnerability, their struggles, and even though I cannot see their heart, I know they also want material things (who does not?) but they choose to wear ugly old clothes. Probably because they cannot afford to buy new ones or their appearance is their least priority. Whatever the reason is, they are brave. They are brave to show who they are. They do not pretend to be something they are not. They have the courage to look poor in a world where the poor are despised and humiliated. They do not seek compliments on their outward appearance because they may know that the inner peace, the joy that comes from things that cannot be bought, is more essential, more beautiful.
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