Behind Closed Doors During the Pandemic

It was Sunday morning and time to get dressed for church. Suddenly, I realized I would not be going to church this morning as I had done for years; the Pandemic had closed the doors of the church!

Oh well, might as well stay in my jammies, I thought; no need getting dressed this early in the morning if I don’t have to. I can watch live stream in my nighties, and no one will ever know. And then it happened – confessions started pouring in on Facebook from women across the globe doing the same thing. It felt strange, yet I confess, I was enjoying not having to wear makeup, shoes, and a bra on Sunday morning.

In addition to church closings, many businesses also closed with employees working from home. As a retiree, I wasn’t affected by my daily fashion attire, except having to wear the newest trend in fashion to the grocery store – the face mask. However, many of my friends in the work force confirmed that the Pandemic had also changed the way they dressed for work now that they were re-assigned to home. The most common changes seemed to be: loungewear became the new stay-at-home uniform, slippers replaced heels and dress shoes, zoom tops became popular for videos meetings with the boss and co-workers.

Yes, behind closed doors, designs in fashion changed during the Pandemic.

I would like to draw your attention to the phrase, behind closed doors, in order to take a look at our inward fashion apparel, aka, our attitude and behavior. Cambridge Online Dictionary defines behind closed doors as: hidden or kept secret from the public, or without an audience or crowd watching.

If we failed to turn off the zoom camera after a work meeting, what would our attitude and behavior look like? Would we want our co-workers to see the “real” me, or heaven forbid, what would the preacher say if he could see his live stream audience?

I will be the first to answer that question. There are times that my spiritual attire gets downright sloppy. It is during those times that I would not want anyone to see me.

The Bible has a specific word for this – FRAUD, and warns against it in the following scripture: “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down. It’s all rotting bones and worn-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds” (Matthew 23:27 MSG).

Fraud is a pretty heavy duty description of something going on behind closed doors in my spiritual life. If I may say so, I am not in that category. However, I have come to realize in my walk with the Lord that things can creep in so subtly and begin to spread like an infectious disease that hinders God’s plans and purpose for me.

It is then that I need a fashion makeover that was fashioned by the Lord’s design.

Reflection

Did your fashion attire change during the Pandemic? If so, how?
What would your behavior look like if you were caught on a live video? Would you be okay with others seeing you behind closed doors? Explain your answer.
What does the scripture in Matthew 23:27 say about our behavior?

Goals

Write one goal you can accomplish today (at home, at work, with family, etc.) that will allow you to live out your fashion design both inside and out?

“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down. It’s all rotting bones and worn-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.” (Matthew 23:27 MSG)