I love catalog and on-line shopping! I live an hour from the nearest mall and have young children, so it's often the only way I can get anything new in my wardrobe for months at a time. (Have you even been clothes shopping, for yourself, with the kids along?)
My favorite catalogs are those that show only the clothing, no models. For me, it's easier to picture what I would look like in that gorgeous sweater or sleek pants. Sometimes I don't like what I picture, but at least my mind isn't seeing the model's body with my head superimposed!
But if you think about it, it's more like real shopping. At the store, at least the ones where I occasionally get to shop, there's no model waiting to prance and turn. It's just me in the dressing room with the three-way mirror. Scary!
When I put effort into shopping and spend money on clothes, I want them to fit my personality and my body. Not an ideal I've imagined by seeing a thin, perfectly made-up model wearing them.
New clothes make me feel wonderful when I know they fit everything about me. Even when the "newness" wears off, carefully chosen clothes often become my favorites for several years.
I realize I need to make my choices in life the same way. In Christ I became a new person. It's my responsibility to make sure all my choices fit that new person. My choices in the Lord should be a unique fit. They won't be exactly like anyone else.
So if I look up to someone as a strong Christian example, or model, and try to emulate them, that's okay. But if I try to become them by doing exactly what they do, I may miss out on opportunities God has provided for me.
In Christ, I am a new creation. Different from every other creation. I pray that I will conform to Him, not to others.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:22-24
As we begin a new year, let's ask God to tailor us to his plan for our lives.