Well Dressed

Growing up, I remember hearing a saying quite a few times.
What the well dressed man will wear.
I never understood why it was just what the well dressed man will wear.
What about the well dressed woman?

I learned much later that it meant both men and women.
But I have come to understand that it also applies to children.
What the well dressed children will wear.
Well dressed does not mean expensive, designer, or high end.

Well dressed means being confident in yourself.
It means letting your personality shine through.
It means having your own style.
It means being a trend setter, if need be.

My daughter, son-in-love, and four grandchildren took an overnight vacation.
They went to a place that is known and loved by families.
It is a place with indoor water parks, water slides, and kids activities.
It was the perfect getaway.

When my daughter sent pictures, I saw that each child had an animal ears headband.
My two-and-a-half year old grandson wore his animal ears proudly.
He wore them in every picture.
He even wore them to bed.

His four-year-old sister loves to wear dresses.
Tutu dresses are her favorite.
I saw her when we went to her sister’s soccer game on Saturday.
There she was, on the sidelines, in her tutu dress with long pants underneath.

What the well dressed child will wear!
Animal ears headband and tutu dresses with long pants underneath.
Another granddaughter will wear a princess dress any time she possibly can.
My littlest grandson wants to be barefoot all the time, as he is on the verge of walking.

Children will put stripes and plaids together and it looks adorable.
Children can wear animal ear headbands and somehow it is the height of fashion.
I love their freedom of expression.
When did we, grownups, get so stuffy and proper?

I have seen pictures of my grandchildren with rain boots and shorts.
I have seen them with their umbrellas as they frolic in the rain.
I have seen granddaughters wear bow clips in their hair that fall down after a while.
They don’t care where the bow is in their hair, as long as the beautiful bow remains there.

Somewhere along the way they learn what is appropriate attire.
It is important to encourage their individual style, while guiding them in their choices.
There is a cashier at one of my markets who wears prints and stripes and large scarves.
I appreciate her sense of color and design and I asked her if she was an artist.

The girl, who was bagging my things, answered first.
Yes, she is! She is an amazing artist!
I thought so, I admitted, because of the way you put colors and patterns together.
She smiled and accepted the compliment gratefully.

What the well dressed artist will wear!
She, though a young adult, kept a sense of whimsy in her clothing.
No one told her that A doesn’t go with B.
She had freedom of expression.

I rejoice greatly in the Lord, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

There is appropriate clothing for those who are in Christ.
We are clothed  in garments of salvation.
We are wrapped in a robe of His righteousness.
Our clothes will let people see the difference; it will be noticed.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand. (written by: Edward Mote)

Like the cashier, when asked, we give an answer to the question asked of us.
Are you a follower of Christ?
A resounding, YES, will follow.
It will be obvious by our attire.

Oh, what the well dressed believer in the Lord Jesus will wear!