Week 2: Clothing

Welcome to week two of “The Project.”  Or as some might want to say “thank God week one is over!”

Take some time in your group to share your experiences of last week.

+Where did God speak (kairos)?                              +What did you learn you were overly attached to?

+What was freeing about this experiment?                         + What changes does the future now hold?

                +Any big kairos moments or events/revelations to process through the learning circle?

(moving into week #2)

Clothing is more than simply a way to keep covered and warm. Clothes, whether we want to realize it   or not, make statements, assume status, and help bolster our self-image.  Some of us agonize about what we will wear and how we will feel, depending on our decision. Others of us pride ourselves on how little energy we seem to put into our wardrobe choices… but if we are honest… this too can bring with it a heightened sense of self-awareness and vanity.  Time spent thinking about one’s self can accumulate nearly as fast as new articles of clothing!

As we begin; take a few moments in silence and think about all of the time, money and energy clothing and accessories have taken up over the past few days/weeks for you.

Matthew 6:25 encourages us to “not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Here we see scripture reminding us that our bodies are more than clothing.  Yet, our consumer culture lies to us with the exact opposite. Aside from the reflection you just did on how much time, energy and mental space you have spent on clothing – here is another shocking exercise:

Mentally (or physically if you are at home) go through your closet and dresser and try and count how many articles or clothing you have.  Sure, a pair of shoes can count as one item, as can sock pairs (even mismatched one’s discarded from the dyer). 

How many do you think you have?     150?      274?      387?      More?

Let’s just say that the average cost of each article is $10 (some more/some less, use $5 if you are a regular at used clothing stores or more if you believe it should be more)  - if  you have 236 items this could translate to $2,360 in clothing.  Yours maybe more or less – either way it is worth thinking about.  The average yearly income for the average Ethiopian family is $410.

At this point you might be thinking “Hey, clothing and people are way different! That is a whole different continent and economy – this is so unrelated!”  

Well, yes…but…really, no.  Clothing, which is really image and perceived power and status are all about people. This plays on both a micro and macro level.

Micro- Think about how much time and money are spent on clothing. Spent on ourselves.  Could this be a place where more margin is needed?  Could this time and money be better used elsewhere?  In conversation with loved ones? Giving money to those in need? Sponsoring a child?

What are some creative ideas from the group?

Macro-  How much, and what we buy matters to God and matters to the world.

               

Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man you have ever seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (self-rule) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? (Gandhi)

One does not have to look too closely at how and where many of our clothes are made to see the scary truth that we, often unknowingly, support unethical and exploitive business practices with our clothing purchases.  If you are able, and have choices about where and how to purchase new clothing –  do a bit of research. It may surprise you.

Let us also not be tricked into thinking that we deserve the blessings of clothing, warmth and shelter.

“I am going to bed tonight grateful for warmth, an advantage so expected it barely registers. May my privileges continue to drive me downward to my brothers and sisters without. Greater yet, I’m tired of calling the suffering “brothers and sisters” when I’d never allow my biological siblings to suffer likewise. That’s just hypocrisy veiled in altruism. I won’t defile my blessings by imagining that I deserve them. Until every human receives the dignity I casually enjoy, I pray my heart aches with tension and my belly rumbles for injustice.”                                                                                            J. Hatmaker (“7” p.51)

Whew!  (take a deep breath and remember you are a beloved child of God)

It is easy to get overwhelmed in the face of injustice, systemic sin, and oppression, but God calls us to act justly in the face of this.

So what do we do?                                         Let’s make some space for creativity and to hear from God.

What would it be like for this next week if we only wore 7 articles of clothing?

OK, even if socks and underwear didn’t count – think of how much mental and emotional space might be freed up!  This would also mean a week that was free from purchasing new clothing – or even researching or planning new clothing purchases!

Would this taste of another way of living change us?                       If so, how do you think so?

What could this reveal about us?                              What kind of margins would be created?

What could God call you to do with the extra time, energy, and money that will become available?