Perhaps you have heard of the benefits of habit stacking—a scientifically proven method that if you
want to incorporate a new habit—you will be more successful when you attach the new habit to one
you already have.
I started inviting the Holy Spirit to anoint my moments of getting dressed, as I found myself
overthinking, stomach twisting with anxiety, overanalyzing events from yesterday, and stressing
about what I had to do today. I would get so caught up in anxiety just staring blankly at my clothes.
To break the cycle, I began praying “Come, Holy Spirit.”
What soon followed in those moments: A break in the clouds, a spurt of creativity, a decision made.
We can be quick to dismiss getting dressed as just an ordinary to-do—but God delights to meet us
in the mundane of daily of life. The Lord does not want us to just cope or get through our day.
What if you started welcoming Christ into your moments of getting dressed?
What if this changes everything?
When we recognize Christ’s nearness in the most ordinary of moments, we open ourselves up to
new graces.
Priests and religious pray through their garments every morning as they vest themselves, laypersons
can do the same. There is something about asking the Holy Spirit to anoint our day as we put in
earrings or asking Him to arm us in grace as we pull on a wooly sweater. Through prayer, clothing
again becomes a source of comfort and security as it is reoriented towards a higher—towards
heaven.
We often assume clothing is something too petty to concern the Lord. And yet, there are over a
hundred references to clothing in Scripture. In so many of these moments, the Lord communicates
His protection and care for us through the garments.
We are all the more aware of His nearness as we experiment with personal style. The Father delights
in us as we create because we reflect Him (Creator) by this act! When we dress with Him in mind
such a dressing with the Liturgical Calendar—the prayer of the Church—our garments become a
tangible reminder of prayer.
There are great graces offered to us in the ordinary—do not doubt the healing the Lord can bring
about in your closet when you invite Him into this fragile space.
Getting dressed is a tender topic as so many of us have struggled with body image and trying to
serve the idol of “standard size.” A gentle reminder that your clothing is meant to serve you—we
were never meant to change our bodies to fit the mold of a garment.
Invite the Lord into your moments of getting dressed and watch things gracefully shift as your day
becomes soaked in prayer.
תגובות