* I wrote this post a few weeks ago and was too chicken to put it up then. But I’ve worked through it (woo-hoo!) and I’m ready to share….
Confession: I’m a fan of fashion ambushes (maybe because I secretly hope one will happen to me).
On the show What Not to Wear, friends or family nominate someone for a makeover. The chosen one gets a whole new wardrobe.
But first they have to get rid of all their awful clothes and surrender to the shopping laws of the infamous Stacy and Clinton.
Here’s something I’ve noticed: Every single episode there’s a moment when the nominee cries in the dressing room.
Stacey and Clinton watch on a little camera and gleefully declare, “Here comes the meltdown!” The next day they help the person shop, all is well, and the show ends with smiles all around.
All of this does have a point. And here it is…
While riding my recumbent bike a few days ago, I caught part of What Not to Wear episode. And I had the sudden realization that I’m at the “crying in the dressing room” moment in life right now.
There’s a lot happening–a lot of really good, wonderful things.
But even good things mean change. And change is hard, y’all.
In grad school we learned about the stress cycle. There’s a chart that shows all the phases we go through when there’s upheaval in our lives. Here’s what stood out to me: The stress cycle is the same for positive and negative change.
Have a baby…go through the stress cycle.
Lose a job…go through the stress cycle.
Trash your t-shirts from the 80s and get a whole new identity…(say it with me now) go through the stress cycle.
You get the picture. And at some point in the cycle, we’re all going to cry on the dressing room floor. The important thing is what we do next.
Since they’re on national television, the contestants always go through with it to the end. They face fears, overcome identity issues, and find at least one pair of really cute jeans.
The last thing they usually say is, “I can’t imagine going back to who I was before.” Sure, they might want some parts of their old life back and mourn some losses but they like who the process has helped them become.
Going through the process of becoming, of embracing life being different, of embracing more of who God made us to be is always transformational. We’ve just got to push through that meltdown moment to get there.
So here’s my little life lesson from What Not to Wear…
Macy’s isn’t the only one with a changing room.
God’s got one too.
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Dear Stacey and Clinton, thank you for being a highly unlikely source for spiritual insight. If you’d like to throw in a new wardrobe for me too, that would be great. Sincerely, Holley ___________________________________________________________________________________
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