"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear, but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious." 1Peter 3:3-4


Lately, I have found myself despising shopping, rather it be for clothes or even groceries. Reason being is the type of people that I am shopping with. I feel like living in Cool Springs, there is a bit of an "uppity up" type atmosphere with the people. Walking into Target, Publix, Whole Foods, and even TJ Maxx, it seems to be a flood of people in trendy clothes with their tight leggings, eye-grabbing boots, extravagant and draping jewely, cute tops, and perfectly styled hair. Sometimes I look at these women and I think if only I could dress like that! I think they look so cute and trendy, and I find myself discontent with my clothing and style of dress. I just find that if I stay out of stores, then I don't dwell so much on what other people have and wear, and I don't focus on clothing as much. It is so hard to 'live in the world and not be of the world,' 2 Cor. 10:3.
 You would think that church would be a safe haven, but the battle for me is there as well. There are some women who are current with the new styles and trend, and then there are the women who wear very modest and plain clothing. Now, I hope to make it perfectly clear that I am not trying to say it is wrong or shameful to dress trendy. On the contrary, some people have a talent at being fashionable. Natalie, a sweet friend of mine, is a perfect example of this. She always looks so trendy and so cute, and yet she shops at goodwill for most all her clothes! She is not at all obsessed with her look, but just has that knack at putting clothes together and looking stylish. But I am so thankful for the women who don't care for new trends and their dress. They help me not to be concerned about appearance and it is so easy to see how they are concerned more for 'the adorning of their hearts'. The problem in all this desire of being cute and trendy stems from a misplaced mindset in me.  I need to 'set my mind on things above, not on things that are on earth,' Colossians 3:2. 
And not only do I need to not worry about clothing so much for my own sake, but also for the sake of my Christian sisters. Do I want to be a distraction to my sisters by having them think about my clothing and appearance when they see me, or feel the way I do now. That is one of the wars I wage everyday with the world, but not one I want to wage with my Christian family. And what an example to the younger sisters, particularly in high school? I remember what a struggle high school was trying to keep up with trying to dress "cool" and wear what everyone else was wearing. I really hope that I have not offended any one, but just something I have been thinking about, and something I hope to teach to my children. 
Of course, there are a great many scriptures that speak to womens' dress: 1 Timothy 2:9, Proverbs 11:22, and Proverbs 31:3, to name a few. But I think Psalms 119:37 says it plainly, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and give me life in Your ways."