What’s your style?

When I was younger, I never would have dreamed of answering this question, and if you did ask it, I would’ve looked at you like you were crazy. Then I would have told you, “It’s shorts and a T-shirt, duh.” What I’ve come to realize as I’ve grown older is that there is more to a person than just the clothes that they wear. However, I think you can tell a lot about a person from their style.

For example, my style is simple, mainly jeans and T-shirts, Clarks, Chacos, Birkenstocks, boots, scarves — comfort. I am a math major. I think in simple, straight-to-the-point terms. My style matches my thinking.

My roommate, Raianne, on the other hand, is more complex than that. She wears colorful or patterned pants, fancy hats to church, lots of lace when possible, heels, etc. Raianne is more of a creative thinker and looks for many different ways to think about many different things.  Again, her style matches her thinking.

I’ve learned a lot about style, simply by wearing her clothes once a month on what we refer to as “Dress Your Roommate Day” (DYRD). I’ve learned a lot about who she is and how confident she is in her identity. In the same way, I’ve learned I am confident in who I am, and I affirm that by my style.

In Colossians 3, God calls us to clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience … and over all these virtues put on love.” Before DYRD, I would’ve thought that these things were supposed to be everybody’s style, but now that I see how differently people dress, I question that notion. Yes, God calls us to put on those things, but do they look the same on each individual person?

Every person’s style is unique and different in its own way. My style is simple: I am loyal, loving and kind to the people I love most. I try my best to be humble in every situation I face. I am diligent when given a task and will give it 100 percent. I am faithful to what I believe and am unwavering in that faith. I am beautiful in my own unique way, showing Christ’s love to all I come in contact with through a smile.

Raianne, on the other hand, gives and gives of herself to everyone around her. She writes letters and sends flowers to people having bad days. She shares unconditionally and without grumbling. She is kind and full of compassion for the work she wants to do for a nonprofit someday. She loves the Lord and she loves people.

I guess you could say that I’ve learned a lot about style this past year. I can say that when Christ clothes you, that is yours and yours alone. We can’t have DYRD when it comes to our spiritual gifts. That is something God has uniquely blessed each of us with.

Now, let’s clothe ourselves with Christ, not caring what others think of our style. Christ is the light of the world, and if we’re clothed with his love, others will want to wear it, too. Love is the only piece of style that everyone possesses.

Written by Kaylin Turley