I can never forget one very valuable lesson I learned from a priest one Sunday. I don’t even remember the title of his message nor the scripture but I do remember one thing he said.
“Christians dress so fancy when they are going out but put on any ole thing to come to church.”
That struck a nerve because I was one of them. I was coming to church to be on a 'date' with The Lord and I didn’t put much thought into my attire. He didn’t get my very best.
One may think that God doesn’t care about that, perhaps if it were all you had. But when you consciously dress your best to go anywhere else but church it speaks to how you view your time in the presence of the Lord.
The apostles complained that Mary was wasting perfectly expensive oil to wash Jesus’ feet instead of using it for other things. [John 12: 3] So are they indicating that just regular soap and water would do for Jesus?
One such young lady has demonstrated that while in the world she had to look great but now that she is on fire for Jesus she has to look her absolute BEST!
Meet Onika Octave:
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| Onika at COVER Fashion show {best dressed} |
Questions: Were you always stylish? Who inspired you? How did it start?
To be honest I really never knew what I was good at until I got saved. Growing up people would ask me “what am I good at?” and I’d say; “dressing up and looking cute.”
As a little girl, all I wanted to do was dress up. I use to imagine styles and sketches of clothes in my head then ask my friends to draw for me because I could not draw. Then I would get my group of friends and we would do similar outfits with mixed colours. People would ask what is our group’s name, and we would say Wizzy Wow! I use to watch BET a lot because we loved the group Destiny’s Child.
They use to dress very similarly for their award ceremonies and my friends and I would do the same for parties. It was so “serious” that I would get up at midnight just to try an outfit.
My dad use to entertain and encourage me so he would give me the money to buy my fabric and would ask what’s my next outfit. I think I would put my all into it because I thought that’s all I was good at besides liking to sing. My siblings would laugh at me and say “You think you could sing…” So I would turn back to clothes and dressing up. It was my safe place.
Onika is now a born-again believer and is on the worship team at her church. And not only is she continually growing as a worshipper but she is doing it in grand style too. She is now poised to be one of the top stylists in the world and is admired by many for her consistent sense of style!
Our pastor always says “don’t despise small beginnings…” and so we hope her story can encourage you to stay true to yourself and your dreams even when others may laugh at you. Then submit your life to a full-time relationship with God and watch Him raise you up in your gifts.
Shaloam!
