It was the morning after the night before. Yes, while I slept, all of Hollywood was out and about celebrating the latest victors from the Academy Awards. But the talk, the next day, is never who the winners are, or which lucky filmmaker takes home a coveted Oscar – it’s what was everyone wearing??? 
I love this quote by Yves Saint Laurent: “What is most important in a dress, is the woman wearing it.”
You see in every newspaper today and all this week there will be images of beautiful actresses, amazingly talented people with a skill-set I can only dream about, who can transform themselves into the most diverse characters and become the part, women who are accomplished. These women will be wives, mums, daughters and sisters, many of them will have gone to acting school, many will have given up a host of possibilities and opportunities to pursue, at great cost, the thing that’s in their heart. And yet, on the biggest night of their careers, the thing the world is pouring over is how good – or bad – they look.
Isn’t funny how we obsess with the external?
Even when it comes to sharing our own faith story, broaching the subject of Jesus with our friends, isn’t it funny how we can focus on the external stuff?
I don’t look like the type of person who goes around sharing their faith.
I don’t live in the type of area where that would go down well.
Why would those working mums from the school gates want to talk to little old me?
I’m not qualified enough.
I don’t have a good enough story.
But you see, the most important thing is not how the situation is dressed – it’s that you are the one positioned in the situation.
In Luke 24, as Jesus is leaving he assures his followers that ‘another just like him’ is coming. He is of course speaking about the promise of the Holy Spirit. And then he says these incredible words, “wait here until you are clothed with power from on high”.
As someone who has never ever felt glamorous enough, or well dressed enough, or qualified enough, or anything enough… I love the fact that the one thing I need to equip and empower me to do the job of sharing my faith, and introducing people to Jesus, is the one thing I can clothe myself in every day – the Holy Spirit.
Ladies, I know we can look in the mirror from time to time and wish we hadn’t bothered, and I know we can come up against some pretty daunting situations and people, but can I encourage you today? You are exactly the person God needs to reach your world. I don’t know your friends, you do. I haven’t been through the same life situations as you, but you have. And what’s more, God, through giving us His son, has vowed never to leave us, and so to make sure that we walk this path with full confidence that we are set up for a win, he has given us his Holy Spirit. A measure of his presence, power and authority.
Next time when you’re in the queue in the supermarket, instead of wondering what label she’s wearing, why not have a chuckle to yourself, thinking, ‘if only they knew who I’m wearing.’
You are clothed with power from on high girls. Let’s make sure we make the most of it x