Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone, which means you can safely get on social media now. The relevance algorithms have shoved those gooey posts about how much your friend loves his partner or the dozens of pictures from someone’s Galentine’s night to the bottom of your feed.
Don’t clutch your pearls with the assumption that I loathe expressing love and devotion. I’m not a cynic, just a realist. I’m more interested in the real love, God’s transforming love. The team at CXXII has been dedicated to designing Christian clothing that expresses God’s love and devotion to the world, and His love story inspires people to love others more than anyone’s once-a-year post on the single day designated for heralding love.
The faith-based apparel that CXXII creates communicates God’s amazing love story that, unlike social media posts, doesn’t ever change. You can rely on God’s love to be a steady, supportive lifeline even throughout your struggles and disappointments. God’s Word promises that He will never “fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8), and Christian streetwear brands like CXXII can spread this faith-filled message of God’s love faster than a Valentine’s post gone viral.
How Modern Christian Clothing Best Communicates True Love
True love doesn’t look like a filtered photo against the perfect backdrop. True love has grit. True love looks past imperfections and annoyances, but that’s not what social media communicates. People attempt to show perfected love in posts, but God has cornered the market on perfection. He showed His tremendous love by having Jesus die for the world, paying the penalty for everyone’s sin (Romans 5:8).
You don’t see posts about the days people find it more difficult to be loving. You can’t find posts of days when someone feels tired, or worse, feels tired of their partner. You can’t find many Valentine’s Day posts that say, “I love you today because you’re always by my side, even when you’re clipping your toenails while I eat my lunch.”
Couples might poke a bit of fun at each other online, but people simply don’t post those moments of disappointment that reveal severe imperfections in the ones they love. Thankfully, God doesn’t either. Although we disappoint God all the time, He never turns His back on us. He never shuts us out even when we do so to him. You never have to worry that God will highlight your sin and shortcomings. Instead, God loves us deeply despite how we may disappointment Him.
Wearing your favorite faith-based clothing communicates the unparalleled characteristics of God’s deep, abiding true love, including:
- His faithful love: The Bible promises Christians that “nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39). Other people can’t come between you and your relationship with Jesus. Your past, your shortcomings, any way that you think you fail God still can’t separate you from His love.
- His eternal love: Numerous verses in God’s Word confirm that God’s love “endures forever” (Psalm 100:5; 118:1). What a comfort to know that God’s love never changes because He remains the same today as He was yesterday and will be forever (Hebrews 13:8).
- His abundant love: God “loved us so much, that even though were dead because of our sins” He gave us Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of the world and conquered death by rising from the grave to live eternally (Ephesians 4:4). Regardless of a person’s shortcomings, God sacrificed His own son, Jesus, so that anyone can be forgiven and enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- His generous love: God gives His love as a gift. You don’t work to earn it; you simply accept His gift freely (Ephesians 4:8). He asks no questions about your past relationships. He attaches no strings to the gift.
True Love Reflected in Your Faith-Based Clothing Brand
Often people try to show love online by posting about something they did for the ones they love. However, by wearing their Christian clothing, believers show the true love of what was done for them, not by them. God loves the world so much that even though everyone sins, “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
God’s expresses His love in a supernatural way that can be difficult to understand because people just aren’t wired to love like God. God doesn’t keep a list of wrongdoings to throw in your face later. God doesn’t hold grudges. God uses a simple formula. Despite what you may think of yourself and your sin, He loves you and offers “the free gift “of eternal life (Romans 6:23).
In awe of this amazing love, Christian apparel brands give believers a creative way to share God’s love so that others can receive His gift of eternal life and the benefits of His love, including:
- Peace: God loves comes with a spirit of peace that nothing in the world can match (John 14:27).
- Life: God gave the world Jesus who took the penalty for all sins by dying on the cross, but God’s plan didn’t stop at the cross. Jesus beat death and rose again, giving everyone the gift of eternal life and a personal relationship with Jesus (John 3:16).
- Forgiveness: God always forgives. His Word promises Christians that if they confess their sins, He “is faithful and just to forgive” them of sin (1 John 1:9). He wipes the history clean every time.
- Strength: Paul promises Christians that God provides the strength you need for all things (Philippians 4:13). When you feel weak, you can take comfort knowing that God’s strength can sustain you.
- Safety: Christians can confidently cast all their cares at the feet Jesus because He loves so abundantly and wants to take those burdens (I Peter 5:7). Christ offers a refuge from the troubles in life (Psalm 46:1; 91:2).
Sharing True Love Daily by Wearing Modern Christian Apparel
Everywhere on social media, people posted all kinds of loving things about their partners on Valentine's Day. Although Valentine’s posts can’t be viewed as wrong, some people shunned the whole idea. The point they made wasn’t that they don’t love anyone or want to show love to anyone; instead, they want to express love and devotion as an everyday occasion, not just a single holiday. Christians feel much the same way, and Christian streetwear apparel gives them a way to daily communicate the best example of true love: God’s eternal love.
However, Christians need to guard against complacency. Like posts about love on the annual holiday, Christians can easily fall into the trap of showing God love and devotion only on designated days, too. On Sundays, you may find it easy to get up, go to church, and worship, but what about the rest of the week? Just like any personal relationship, everyday displays of love and devotion make your connection stronger.
Christians can show the love of God by- Modelling God’s love for others: God doesn’t love because He needs to be loved back. He shows love because He wants people to tell others about His life-transforming love. The Bible encourages Christians to love others like God loves them (John 13:34). Christians need to be walking Super Bowl—sized ads promoting God’s love every day. How you treat others can model God’s love and wearing your favorite Christian t-shirt makes a great conversation starter with others about God’s love.
- Reading His Word: Nothing says “love” like paying attention to what someone says, and God has an entire book for you. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells Christians that all Scripture came directly from God and makes a wonderful way to get to know Him better. The better you know Him, the more you can love like He does.
- Talking to Him: The Bible tells Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Relationships that lack communication have weak connections, but you can completely trust God. He won’t air your dirty laundry. Freely go to Him in prayer, lay your burdens at His feet, and tell Him your needs and your fears. His love promises to strengthen you and give you peace.