For Jane Streatfield, inviting the Holy Spirit into her everyday wardrobe has transformed her mornings. What began in postnatal depression has become a simple rhythm of partnership with a God who cares about every detail.
I’ve believed for years that God cares about every little detail of our lives - from the big to the small. What if the daily ‘what shall I wear,’ became a conversation with Holy Spirit? I’ve learned that He loves showing up right there in my wardrobe, whispering comfort, guidance and pointing me to outfits that take Him out of any box I might have put him in.
After my second daughter was born, postnatal depression hit me hard. Everything felt dark and heavy - toddlers to dress, nappies to change, tears of overwhelm as I thought about my day. My body was totally different, nothing fit the same as it once had. Standing there staring at clothes wasn’t about fashion - it was just part of trying to face another day I felt totally unprepared for. You may know that feeling… one extra decision and you’re crumbling before you even leave the house. That’s when the Holy Spirit nudged me and I started asking God what to wear.
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Not every morning, but when I do, I just pray, ‘Holy Spirit, what shall I wear today?’ I pause and wait until I hear something or see a picture in my mind. Sometimes I feel pulled to a certain pair of trousers instead of the usual ”mum joggers” I’d naturally pick up. Other times, a picture pops into my head.. it could literally be anything - a dress with cowboy boots, oversized coat, wide leg jeans… sometimes its the whole outfit and other times it’s an item. Either way, I will grab the piece of clothing and style accordingly. But that is literally it. It turns a fairly mundane, sometimes overwhelming routine decision into a little moment with my friend, the Helper.
He’s not waiting for certain times of the day to hear from me or those big prayer moments and He’s not sat back uninterested in the mundane parts of my day.
It has totally changed how I see God. He’s not waiting for certain times of the day to hear from me or those big prayer moments and He’s not sat back uninterested in the mundane parts of my day. He is right there in the messy midweek mornings when my body feels tired, my mind is distracted and I just need to get up and get on.
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One memory has stayed with me and is definitely inspiration and motivation to continue to get dressed with the Holy Spirit. I was going to a spiritualist event supporting the new age movement with witches and stalls selling crystals. I wanted to pray and talk about Jesus with them. In the shower that morning, I asked my usual question, ‘What shall I wear today?’ Immediately, I had a picture in my head of a random Nepalese jacket I’d found in a charity shop, years back. So I grabbed it from my wardrobe and headed out.
At the door, the man selling tickets looked up and he was wearing the exact same jacket! It was crazy. This wasn’t a mass produced, sold on the high street jacket, it was a unique item made hundreds of miles away. We chatted and I told him that God had led me to wear it earlier and he listened, curious and unnerved. He had just encountered my God - personal, intimate and relational. The jacket choice that morning wasn’t random, it was divine!
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So getting dressed with Holy Spirit is about so much more than, ‘what shall I wear?’.
So getting dressed with the Holy Spirit is about so much more than, ‘what shall I wear?’. Our God is abundant and gives us more than we could ask, dream or imagine. He could have a beautiful encounter lined up for you. Or he could be healing that postnatal fog, removing one decision that would make you crumble at the front door. The Holy Spirit has taught me about partnership and reminds me I’m not alone in the small stuff. He’s in our everyday moments, preparing us for what is next.
So now I wear colour boldly (no more hiding in black), and swap old lies (God doesn’t are about what you wear), for truth (yes He does!) Try it tomorrow. Ask Him and watch what happens.
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