Are You [] Really [] You?

There seems to be this thing about people when they go to church… they are all perfect, or at least appear perfect. For some reason we have made church to be this place we go to show others we are there. We put on this face and dress this certain way, a way that is expected of us.

I’m not too sure when this started but I know for a fact it has been going on for a long time. I can remember being younger and having to wear a tie (well clip on tie) and dress pants, or a dress shirt and khakis on Sunday. It was the only day out of the week when my family would dress up. Not that we didn’t like to look nice, we were just a relaxed family when it came to clothes. It never really made sense to me though having to dress up for church. I knew it just wasn’t… well, me. Maybe some people love to dress up and look their best on Sunday mornings, that’s great. Do it because you want to if that’s what being yourself is. I know being myself means I wear a pair of shorts, flip flops, maybe a graphic T and some shades. Possibly even a fedora thrown on to top off the outfit.

I am just wondering when it became an unwritten rule to dress this certain way in church. Wouldn’t Jesus just want us to be ourselves? Wouldn’t he just want us to come as we are and worship and love him? After all, this is all about Jesus isn’t it?

It’s kind of sad that this is even an issue. That so many people feel they need to look and be perfect in order to go to church. All these people are missing the point and the real big issue here. It’s not how you look when you enter a church; it’s how you look when you walk out of a church. Have you been changed in a positive way? Is your relationship stronger with God? Have you grown any spiritually? Are you being challenged? Are you changing from the inside out to please God?

Now this isn’t a bash towards people who dress up in a suit and tie when they go to church, if that’s what you got out of this than you missed the whole point of what I am saying… It’s not about that, it’s all about being yourself. Don’t worry about what you think you have to look like in order to set foot in a church. I would say that you should be worrying about worshiping, loving and getting closer to a God who loves you no matter what kind or how nice of clothes you have on.