Sally, Shirts, And Stripes

My sisters-in-law, Sally and Karen, have  had great impact on my life. This entry, from July 19, 2009, is about Sally and my clothes.

I only have two credit cards and one is from KOHL'S. Every month, KOHL'S sends coupon to their card holders with the possibility of 15%, 20%, or 30% off the next purchase. Several weeks ago, I peeled the sticker and...30%! It was like winning the lottery! Since there is a KOHL'S near Dave and Sally's house, I decided to cash in my discount in Kansas, buying a few items for school. As Sally and I discussed my purchases and whether I should buy a suit that was on sale, I realized my beautiful sister-in-law is of the opinion that I have no sense of fashion. She may be right- our viewpoints on men's clothing are diametrically opposed. My 30% coupon was applied to a pair of Dockers pants and two oxford dress shirts, one white while the other is from CHAPS, white with small blue checks. Since I normally wear solid or pinstriped shirts, I wasn't sure what tie I should wear to worship with the blue checked oxford. Did you know there are websites that match shirts and ties in acceptable combinations? I discovered it's proper to wear a striped tie with a checked shirt so I did. I'm back in Houston now but my fondest dream is that Sally would have applauded as I went out the door this morning; I live for her approval!

Like I said, I know little about fashion. I have heard that vertical stripes make one appear taller while horizontal stripes have the effect of adding a few pounds. I now know when it is permissible for a man to wear stripes for his neck wear. But, that use of stripes is strictly superficial. There was one for whom the term stripes had a different connotation. In his first epistle, Peter wrote that the Savior, "Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.. " (1 Peter 2:24, NKJV) The apostle tells us that the stripes/wounds of Jesus liberated us from sin. The agony He bore in the beatings, the mockings, the crucifixion made our salvation possible. Just three verses previously, Peter writes that the sufferings of Jesus serve as an example that Christians are to follow. Paul penned in Galatians 3:27 that, "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." We're promised the wardrobe of Jesus? That's an outfit I can live with. No more websites or color schemes, checks or solids. The stripes of Jesus will always match the clothing of Christ, even if we've had a checkered past.

Applicable quote of the day:
"I have always dressed according to certain Basic Guy Fashion Rules,including: ‘Both of your socks should always be the same color.’ Or they should at least both be fairly dark."
Dave Barry

God bless,

Steve
Luke 18:1

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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com