Written by Kimberly Kokernot
“How many of you ladies watch ‘What Not to Wear,'” the speaker at Downtown Church of Christ asked last Sunday. Hands around the crowded auditorium flew into the air. Audible female murmurs passed between smiling friends as guys rolled their eyes and shook solemn heads.Amid the giggles of girls, he described Stacy and Clinton’s 360º mirror examination of the unfashionable outfits of each person who is transformed throughout the show. They critique each article of unflattering clothing, giving their opinions on why that person should burn their wardrobe.But the speaker at Downtown brought up a poignant thought; what if we were to stand before God’s 360º mirror?Yes, we can wear the right things, hide our imperfections with make-up, hang out with the right people and put on a facade that makes us look like we have our lives together. But when we stand before God, he sees our most vulnerable self. He sees our joys and our hurts, our successes and our failures.1 Samuel 16:7 says “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”God knows each one of us so intimately that it’s somewhat embarrassing. He hears our thoughts, and knows every shallow judgement we make about one another. He knows when we lust and hears our “that’s what she said” jokes.He watches as we compare ourselves to those around us; who’s less or more attractive, intelligent, or funny. Even though we have been told to think of others as better than ourselves, God knows when we fail.But we are obsessed with acceptance.Everyone wants to be liked and appreciated. We search for it, knowingly or not.At Harding, social clubs are a pinnacle form of acceptance. Jersey day screams “I belong!” as students walk across campus in shirts that symbolize unity and loyalty to their respective clubs. During the fall semester, freshmen (along with many sophomores and even a few juniors) search for the club of people that like them enough to ask them to join. As a new person in a community of fresh faces, freshmen are especially susceptible to the longing for a place to belong. And as a girl who pledged during her freshman year, I know the desire first-hand.But many people, including myself, put too much emphasis on whether or not we pass the 360º examination of those who have already been deemed “good enough” to be in a club. We feel discouraged and degraded if we aren’t invited to join.For those that survive visitation and then receive a bid to join a club, a whirlwind of exhaustion and struggle to meet expectations ensues.Pledge week is about looking and acting the part, proving your desire to become a part of the group. It caters to building friendships, but also requires meeting the expectations of many people.In the process, we loose sight of the only being who truly deserves our efforts to impress.I can stand before God’s 360º mirror in my pink and green jersey, the symbol that I’ve been accepted by a group of people in the Harding world, but it won’t stop him from seeing my failures as a child of God.Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can be strong against the devil’s schemes. God wants to see us dressed with truth, righteousness and faith.If we were to spend the same amount of time improving our character as we do shopping for the perfect outfit, trying to repair a bad hair day or attempting to impress people so that we will feel accepted, we would all be a lot closer to meeting the expectations of God.
