While Mother’s Day weekend shopping with my mom and family, I ran across a beautiful blouse. It was a dainty piece, with a brown, black, taupe and cream-colored floral pattern, and most importantly, it was a great deal! From the moment of purchase, I knew that I would wear it to work on Monday. Of course, I didn’t try the top on in-store, because my go-to size for blouses is normally medium. So, without much thought at all, I grabbed it. I knew it would fit. No need to waste time trying it on….A no-brainer, right?
It’s now Monday morning. Pairing the blouse with black cropped slacks in my mind, while getting my day started, I was kind of excited about this post-Mother’s Day work ensemble. Well, it’s ShowTime, and I begin to pull the blouse over my head and the act becomes a little more than slightly challenging. I get it over my head, begin to slide the arms in, and it’s so tight that I feel like the estrogen Hulk lady! Lol. It’s on, but I’m feeling really squeezed in. Wow, this isn’t gonna be doable today, I thought.
Decision time…I have got to get this blouse off!!!! Pulling it back over my head was NOT working at all. This girl was feeling trapped! It was such a challenge that the task quickly turned into somewhat of an obstacle course. The thought to just cut it off entered the brain. But, wait! It’s too pretty to destroy! Taking a few seconds to settle down and think logically about this wardrobe malfunctioning event, I decided to take my time, and strategically peel it off. With a little patience and common sense, it worked. Thank The Lord!
As I settled in at work, it hit me that the blouse exercise is a lot like life. We get into situations that are tight and uncomfortable, to say the least. We may stay in these situations because they have an appearance of something that looks right or cute or could be, especially when paired with something else. We know it doesn’t fit well with our lifestyle, scruples or maybe even our faith, however, we attempt to ‘wear’ it anyway. Without seeking the right guidance or focusing on a good fit, or possibly ignoring both, we try to make it work. Then, decision time comes… Do I need to get out of this thing? If so, how? Do I wiggle my way out, methodically, sort of haphazardly, or do I just cut it off? What do I really want–temporary relief or long-term freedom with options?
Just like the blouse episode on this slow-moving Monday morning, we need to get still for a minute, assess the value of the situation, and then decide if our approach should be a strategic process of elimination or an immediate cut-off. God gave us the gift of choice. Exercise the gift! It’s ours to man/woman-up to act, then walk boldly in that decision. A smart choice would be to seek God for direction with the decision first, and not wait for the aftermath. As for the blouse, the choice that I made allows me to either decide to lose weight to enjoy the wear of this eye-catching garment or gift it to someone. Optimistically, I should keep it. Realistically, I’ve opted for the latter. Faithfully, the next time, I’ll be a better observer of true ‘fit’ rather than assuming or hoping for it. 😉 Prayerfully, we’ll get better at discerning what/who’s right for us–not based on a look, but on a Divine feel! It’s “The Blouse Effect!”
Peace and Blessings, Lisa B