What to wear?

“I didn’t want to fall into the cycle of consumerism”

While preparing for my brother’s wedding, I was having a hard time figuring out what to wear. My sister-in-law’s family is well-off and was used to expensive weddings. Ours is a very simple family, and we’re not used to spending that much money on fancy clothes. Since I studied in another city, during the weeks before the wedding, my mom would call me and tell me about the stress she and my sisters were going through trying to find nice but inexpensive dresses. She was also worried about my dress, since I was planning to go home just a few days before
the wedding.

I was a little worried, too. On one hand, I really wanted to dress well that day to make my brother and sister-in-law’s special day a celebration. On the other hand, I didn’t want to fall into the cycle of consumerism, spending a lot of money on a dress I would only use once!

With some of my friends who also try to live the Gospel, we decided to trust Jesus, who spoke of the beautiful lilies of the field that receive everything from God. He also said, “if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (Jn 15:7). For me this meant to stay in the present, doing whatever I was doing (working, studying, cooking) with the zeal of doing it for God, without worrying about the outfit. Some of my friends lent me some dresses to try, but when I arrived home, none of them seemed to be appropriate for the occasion.

A couple of days before the wedding, I still didn’t know what to wear. I didn’t want to go shopping right away: God had promised to listen to our requests, and I was sure he was going to answer. I just had to trust him. I decided to ask a friend of mine, even if her clothes do not always fit me. To my surprise, the dress she gave me was exactly my size. It was beautiful, and since she had used it for a wedding, she also had the shoes and accessories that matched it! It was a great witness for my family of how God does take care of us, just like the lilies of the field. We just have to love and let him work!                      

— F. M., Argentina