Vanity

I could spend all day reading fashion blogs.  I love looking at artistic garments as well as creative ensembles made out of thrift store finds.  I love getting new ideas about how to wear my old clothes.  But I have been considering - How much of my time thinking about clothes is vanity, empty, worthless? 

I don't think beauty is intrinsically vain.  Too much of God's creation is amazingly beautiful to think so.  I have gone through phases in which I didn't spend enough time on my appearance, and it really ended up being disrepectful to the people around me.  There has to be a middle ground between spending too little and spending too much time on my appearance.     

Instead of highlighting "me", can clothes radiate something good outward?  I recently finished a painting that shows portions of Isaiah 61 in the Bible.  I chose these words for the theme of "freedom", but now I love the parts about putting on "a crown of beauty", "the oil of gladness", and "a garment of praise"- 

In case you can't read all of the words, here they are -

"The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."