If you’re coming from watching my style segment “7 Minutes with Style By Breedlove” on TBN Salsa’s “Life in the City”, WELCOME!

The beauty of a testimony: I believe we all go through sucky times to help others in our lives who go through the same ones at a later time. I’ve dealt with an online shopping addiction and I’ve dealt with thinking that anything materialistic was from the devil and something I shouldn’t enjoy whatsoever.

These are two ends of the spectrum that I’ve dealt with in the world of fashion, and I’m here to tell you that there is redemption and balance to be seized!

1. If you’ve ever struggled with materialism, I want you to know you won’t be stuck in this for long. When I was addicted to online shopping, I felt like I couldn’t stop. I felt like no matter how much my heart wanted to be free of this, I couldn’t stop from impulsively jumping on my computer and pressing “Complete Purchase.” There were two different times this happened. Once when I had the money to spend but I should have been budgeting, and once when I had no money at all but I couldn’t stop from pressing that button. I always felt regret when I bought something. But the feeling of regret didn’t seem to trump the feeling of buying something new. I didn’t know how to stop.

And then I decided to change my focus. I decided to stop everything I was doing and focus on what Jesus wanted to tell me about this. It got serious when I didn’t have money to spend on bills but I went ahead and bought clothes. So I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed to God about making me die to my fleshly and worldly desires. I wanted to be a responsible adult and not have to purchase my way into debt.

God heard my prayers and transformed my mind from uncontrollable gluttony to the joy of preserving what I have and having fun with creating new things with what I had. If this is where you’re at, I want to pray for you.

2. If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and if you have anything materialistic, you feel that it’s not right or of God to spend money on yourself in the world of fashion, I want you to know that if you read what God says in the word, it’s not wrong of you to enjoy nice things. It’s when we idolize them that we need to reevaluate our motives behind our desires.

God created artistic people, who create beautiful pieces of art. God created the earth and e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g in it. Everything. God created Michelangelo. God created Bill Gates. God created architects. And God created Designers. Designers of all types. And this includes clothing designers. It could be as simple as a t-shirt, or something as extravagant as a hand sewn suede jacket with beads from top to bottom all down the back. No matter what it is, it’s art. And art is blessed by God.

I understand that if you aren’t into clothes or fashion, if you don’t want to, you never have to be. But fashion was created for different reasons. Some of these reasons being self expression, to look a part, to get a job, etc. God says not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. And not to worry about the clothes on our back. But maybe God is calling you to change the way you view fashion. Maybe just maybe, the reason you’re reading this is because there’s something God wants to unveil in you about fashion that you would have never before thought of.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. If you need to talk about this topic on a deeper level, feel free to comment below with your email address, and I will email you!

– Breed style, Breedlove.