You are what you wear

Last Friday, I had some very precious friends coming for dinner. It was a warm day, so I figured we’d eat outside – not to mention the fact that my house is still in a state of chaos from the repairs, etc. When I ventured into the back yard earlier in the day to prepare, I decided we needed some hanging baskets of flowers to improve the “not quite worked on” state of the deck area.

I buy flowers at a busy local greenhouse near where I live that is owned and operated by a Mennonite family. They are very nice and the flowers are beautiful. I turned into the familiar parking lot, and passed their business sign – a sign that is surrounded by scripture placards. One side of the placard read, “Lord, increase our faith” and the other read, “Purge yourself of all unrighteousness.”

Now, I have always been intrigued by a couple of things when shopping there. First, the owners’ home is at the front of the property, and their wash is always hanging out – bras and very large women’s underwear included. I have always found this to be a bold and amusing decision – and, frankly, it earns them a strange sort of respect from me.

Secondly, I marvel at the amount of hard work the women do – all in skirts and clothing that covers almost everything. There are no tank tops allowed – and you know how hot a greenhouse is!

Religious garb is an interesting choice, isn’t it? Traditional Mennonites, Amish, Hassidic Jews, devout Muslims (etc) all wear clothing that immediately identifies them as religious. As I looked through the geraniums, I began to ponder the reasons behind the uniforms.

I considered modesty and tradition and all the other reasonable conclusions, but I could not get away from the fact that I suspect that sometimes religious garb is simply to make a statement – not unlike the placard.

I selected more flowers than I intended to buy and made my way to the line. It was long, so I stood there for a few minutes and observed the woman working the counter, dressed in a long sleeved gray dress and head covering. You know, she never smiled, she never greeted a customer warmly, and she scolded a woman on her cell phone for holding up the line.

I stood there in my shorts and asked the Lord to increase my faith.