IS STRESS ACCESSORIZING YOUR OUTFIT TODAY?

When you get up in the morning and begin to prepare for the day, do you start by searching for that “just right “ outfit or do you prepare the night before to eliminate the hustle and bustle that causes us to run late in the morning?  What kind of outfit are you searching for?  I guess it would depend on what the occasion is.  Are you dressing for work or taking the kids to an event?  Are you job hunting, or having tea with the girls?  There are millions of events, plans and opportunities that will affect your personal wardrobe decision daily.  What pair of shoes will work? Are you going wearing pants or a skirt? What about that special dress? Sometimes we forget items that will make our outfit work. Maybe it’s the extra pair of shoes that we meant to throw in the car, or that necklace that we bought specifically to wear with that certain blouse.  The one thing that NEVER seems to be forgotten and is often a part of our daily attire is…..STRESS!  

 We can have the best intentions of leaving it at home for at least one day, but somehow it manages to jump on to the back of our sweater or climb into the bottom of our shoes and become an unwanted guest, keeping in step with us throughout the day. We can wear it like jewelry, it pinches our wrists and can cause pain like a bracelet that is too small or cut off our breathing like a necklace that’s much too tight!  Often, stress can remove itself from our person and attach itself to others, wreaking havoc on everyone in close proximity and destroying the ability for all to communicate effectively. 

 Stress is also known to be a silent killer.  It can cause a large number of health issues which can keep us from living the life that God designed for us.  When I forget to leave my stress at home, I feel as if it takes refuge on my person and begins to get comfortable within me and comes with full intent of accompanying me throughout my day with no scheduled intermission. When this happens, it is often difficult to recover and maintain the right attitude, which of course can affect the image that we want to relay to others. 

As I continue to strengthen my personal relationship with Christ; I practice leaving some of the daily stresses tucked into a drawer or closet and I remind myself that those stresses can only be adorned if I choose to allow them to be a part of my day.  (Of course I am still working to free myself from those unsightly items altogether, because they don’t look good on me at all!) I will faithfully continue to ask God for strength to remove the unappealing accessory from my wardrobe, so that I may always be seen with the warmth, glow and light that God intends for me to be adorned with everywhere I go. 

I pray that before each one of you leaves the house each day; that you will take a look in the mirror, check out your attire and remember that stress is NEVER a complimentary addition to your ensemble!  Trust God to handle the stressful things in your life, when you do that; you will arrive at your destination allowing your light shine so that others may see and you will walk in the beauty and grace that God desires.