“And why do you worry about clothes?” That phrase was not posed as a question, but a quote from Matthew 6:28. Centuries ago, Jesus asked a crowd gathered on a mountainside, that very question. And it is the question I ask myself from time to time when I look at my own personal wardrobe. Upon sorting to either end of the closet, the clothes of sentimental value or those I’m waiting to get “back into,” I come face to face with the vast number of garments remaining. Realizing there are only seven days in a week and the human body is capable of wearing only one outfit at a time, why do I behold enough clothing as not to repeat an ensemble for possibly a month? Worse than just the sheer number of hangers, is the fact that a common thread (or fabric, if you will) runs through them. One look at the “indigo” indigenous to my closet tells the cold, hard, truth: I am a denim addict.
I don’t know when I first fell into its grip. When I was a child, denim was the material worn by cowboys and farmers. I remember in school, the boys with their stiff pant cuffs rolled up and more denim stitched onto the knee section. I can’t even remember my “first” pair of jeans, but I recall that only after numerous washings did they begin to “feel good.” And it was only in my last couple years of high school that we were finally allowed to wear them to school! Shortly after graduation, I made a landmark purchase when I strode into the men’s section of JC Penneys and bought myself a pair of bib overalls. The clerk was polite though obviously appalled. My mother was simply appalled. Those “bibbers” served me well for many years, eventually being cut-off and worn as frayed-legged shorts.
Sometime in the early ‘80’s I got my first denim skirt. It was awesome and like the blue jeans of that era, came “pre-washed.” I was in fashion heaven and by the time I got my first denim jumper, I was hooked! What’s more, before any article of clothing wore out, I’d buy another to take its place. The only thing is… except for little boy’s knees, denim doesn’t tend to wear out! Therefore my collection of “soft cloth” began.
Denim has become the fabric of the decade. Just like polyester in the ‘70’s, denim is the “now” textile of the ‘90’s. One cannot go into a clothing store without being deluged with articles made of it, be they hats, handbags or traditional clothing fare. Denim comes in all sizes, from diaper sets to plus fashions. It is socially acceptable in both the workplace and the house of worship. In fact, on any given Sunday at my church, no fewer than a dozen denim dresses can be counted among the faithful. One woman at church commented that I had “denim blue” eyes. I studied them in the mirror, wondering if that truly were their shade, or a reflection of my “signature fabric.”
Denim is indeed a “friendly fabric,” sometimes garnering several wearings before need of laundering. Aside from those nasty hems (that curl up after washing) there is barely a need to touch it with an iron! Forgiving also, a careless ink mark will seldom be detected on a deep shade of denim blue. In the past several years, men also have gotten into the denim act. It’s not just their jeans anymore! Rare is the man, in whose closet does not hang a denim shirt. Just add a tie, and you have yourself a pretty snappy looking dresser.
But back to Matthew, I don’t imagine Jesus was referring to “how much” clothing we had, as much as He was the provision of it at all. And more interestingly, when the Bible refers to being “clothed,” we find a closet of a different color. Isaiah 52:1 says “Clothe yourselves with strength…” and in Colossians 3:12, “…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Paul goes so far, in the thirteenth chapter of Romans, as to suggest you “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a wardrobe! Obviously my time would be better spent worrying about how I model my Father’s fashion, rather than my favorite fabric.
Regardless of my spiritual behavior, I am still a woman with one heap of denim clothing! As the new millennium dawns, I fear only that denim might be left behind in the 20th Century (May it never be!). However, always being one with a contingency plan, I have an idea that just might catch on. Tell me - what would you think… about a denim quilt?
I don’t know when I first fell into its grip. When I was a child, denim was the material worn by cowboys and farmers. I remember in school, the boys with their stiff pant cuffs rolled up and more denim stitched onto the knee section. I can’t even remember my “first” pair of jeans, but I recall that only after numerous washings did they begin to “feel good.” And it was only in my last couple years of high school that we were finally allowed to wear them to school! Shortly after graduation, I made a landmark purchase when I strode into the men’s section of JC Penneys and bought myself a pair of bib overalls. The clerk was polite though obviously appalled. My mother was simply appalled. Those “bibbers” served me well for many years, eventually being cut-off and worn as frayed-legged shorts.
Sometime in the early ‘80’s I got my first denim skirt. It was awesome and like the blue jeans of that era, came “pre-washed.” I was in fashion heaven and by the time I got my first denim jumper, I was hooked! What’s more, before any article of clothing wore out, I’d buy another to take its place. The only thing is… except for little boy’s knees, denim doesn’t tend to wear out! Therefore my collection of “soft cloth” began.
Denim has become the fabric of the decade. Just like polyester in the ‘70’s, denim is the “now” textile of the ‘90’s. One cannot go into a clothing store without being deluged with articles made of it, be they hats, handbags or traditional clothing fare. Denim comes in all sizes, from diaper sets to plus fashions. It is socially acceptable in both the workplace and the house of worship. In fact, on any given Sunday at my church, no fewer than a dozen denim dresses can be counted among the faithful. One woman at church commented that I had “denim blue” eyes. I studied them in the mirror, wondering if that truly were their shade, or a reflection of my “signature fabric.”
Denim is indeed a “friendly fabric,” sometimes garnering several wearings before need of laundering. Aside from those nasty hems (that curl up after washing) there is barely a need to touch it with an iron! Forgiving also, a careless ink mark will seldom be detected on a deep shade of denim blue. In the past several years, men also have gotten into the denim act. It’s not just their jeans anymore! Rare is the man, in whose closet does not hang a denim shirt. Just add a tie, and you have yourself a pretty snappy looking dresser.
But back to Matthew, I don’t imagine Jesus was referring to “how much” clothing we had, as much as He was the provision of it at all. And more interestingly, when the Bible refers to being “clothed,” we find a closet of a different color. Isaiah 52:1 says “Clothe yourselves with strength…” and in Colossians 3:12, “…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Paul goes so far, in the thirteenth chapter of Romans, as to suggest you “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a wardrobe! Obviously my time would be better spent worrying about how I model my Father’s fashion, rather than my favorite fabric.
Regardless of my spiritual behavior, I am still a woman with one heap of denim clothing! As the new millennium dawns, I fear only that denim might be left behind in the 20th Century (May it never be!). However, always being one with a contingency plan, I have an idea that just might catch on. Tell me - what would you think… about a denim quilt?
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