Our dress and grooming - 2 reasons why it's important

Welcome to my office, you beautiful readers! It is good to talk with you again. I am enjoying the questions and the feedback... keep 'em coming!

Do me a favor, please. Look at the pics below and tell me what they portray, what they represent, and how you come by this information.

1) What do they represent?

2) What do they represent?

3) What do they represent?

4) What do they represent?

The reason I ask is because, when we perceive things with our eyes, it helps us to get an idea of what we are dealing with, or what we are looking at, or someone's profession, does it not? We see 'identity' every where we look. Take for instance, if I were to say the word 'potato' you would see an image of a potato. Our brain sees with pictures, images.

Now imagine this. You are in the examination room to get your eyes checked. After a short time, a man walks in, he is wearing a T-shirt, he has wild curly hair, a fairly long beard, faded jeans, and tennis shoes on. Got the image in your head yet? Good. Would you think he is the doctor, or just another patient who walked into the wrong room? Well, guess what, he's the doctor! But you didn't guess that when he first walked in based on his appearance. So... now... he's getting ready for the exam, and you're looking at him, and he just doesn't look like the doctor, so you ask “Are you the doctor?”

The above is a true story, of a friend of mine, from Indiana, who has a successful practice. When I first met Brian, at a tire store in Indianapolis, I was looking for a used tire for my Suburban. I'm at the counter and tell the employee that I need a used tire. They have one. "Do you want to pre-pay?" he asked me. "No I do not, what if I don't like it?" So I was put on the list. I headed back out to my Suburban when I notice this red convertible, sportster looking car parked beside me. I notice that the keys are in the ignition. 'Well that's just stupid' I think... 'someone could steal this car.' I turn around, and here comes Brian, the owner of the car, he was just some Hippy looking dude, I kid you not. I says to him "You're awful brave, leaving your keys in the car", in return he says "Yeah, and I prepaid for my tires too" and just like that, I liked him, and we became good friends. We remain friends to this day. A few years ago, when Brian came down to Kentucky for a visit, he was clean shaved, hair short. (Cleans up good.) I asked him why the whack job, and he told me that he got tired of people asking “Are you the doctor?”

All of this is leading up to my point. Does appearance matter? Yes, it does! It certainly mattered to Brian's patients. And while we should not judge people on their appearance, appearance is still important, because in some areas of life, and some professions, and some occupations, it is important.

I had a reader ask me this question:

“Jehovah's W, if you believe Jehovah isn't concerned w/outward appearance, why it short hair and a suit so important?”

I love this question! It is such a good, and important question! The question was asked in response to my posting of this article:

Give Me Just One Year of Peace and Happiness

After
from article: Give me just one
year of Peace and Happiness

Before
from article: Give me just one
year of Peace and Happiness

These two photos were in the article... 

I feel that this article below answers the question:

“Jehovah's W, if you believe Jehovah isn't concerned w/outward appearance, why it short hair and a suit so important?”

The following information is taken in part from: Why Do We Dress Up for Our Meetings? 

This article answers... From The Bible... the following 2 questions:

The Governing Body

1) How important is the way we dress when we worship God?

2) What principles guide our choices in dress and grooming? 

(From the article) To show respect for our God.  It is true that God looks beyond our outward appearance. (1 Samuel 16:7) However, when we gather to worship him, our heartfelt desire is to show respect both for him and for our fellow worshippers.

(From the article) To reflect the values that we live by.  The Bible encourages Christians to dress “with modesty and soundness of mind.” (1 Timothy 2:9, 10) Dressing “with modesty” means avoiding clothing that might draw attention to us by being showy, provocative, or revealing. Also, having “soundness of mind” helps us to choose attractive clothing that is not sloppy or extreme.

Showing respect with their
dress and grooming

One more quick story... My mom's neighbor in the apartment building died some years ago. My husband was going to represent our family at the funeral. He dressed as he would if he was going to our Sunday meeting, or out in the ministry. He wondered if he should, figuring no one else would be dressed up. But he did put on a suit, why? He was representing the God of the Universe, Jehovah, and his appearance needed to reflect that respect and the values that Jehovah's people live by. When he returned home, he says, “We were right, not even the preacher was dressed up.” Now, I felt that disrespectful, not only to the grieving family, but to the God he was claiming to represent. But hey, that's just me... it's my thought, and I shared it with you...