Rome Forum - January 2015
In Act 1, Scene 3 of the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, Polonius is giving advise to
his son prior to going out into the world.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For
the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
There are many bits of fatherly advise that can help us all
as missionaries, but I would like to concentrate on just one today. Appearance.
How do you look today? Have you
looked in a mirror? Have you evaluated what message you are sending by your
appearance? Your clothing and overall
appearance sends a message to everyone who sees you.
If you are wearing a black robe, what is the message? I am a judge.
A white, sterile lab coat says I
am a doctor. A uniform indicates the
person wearing it is a policeman or military person who has authority. Plaid pants and a sweater or short-sleeved
shirt says I’m a golfer. A clean,
freshly pressed suit with a white shirt and tie or modest, but stylish, dress says
I am a professional, I deserve respect, and I have something to offer. Whether you are dressed as a business person,
a lawyer, or in your case, a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way
you dress says right away that you are special and that you deserve to be
heard.
Studies show if you are dressed like a million dollars, you
are much more likely to earn a million dollars.
If you dress smartly and appropriately, you really will do 5 % better on
an exam. Your chance of getting a job increases significantly if you dress
appropriately and professionally.
As a missionary, what message do you send if your shoes are
scuffed, your hair is too long or cut in a style designed to draw
attention? If the knot in your tie is
loose and the button is undone, or if you are wearing flip flops or strange-colored
nail polish, or your skirt is too short, what message does that send? How does how you look affect the message of
Jesus Christ that you are sharing?
Some people may not care how you look or what you say, but
even they will subconsciously have less esteem and respect for you and other
missionaries when you do not portray the image our prophet and church leaders
have asked us to portray. It is partly
because of the way we look that people often say “There is something different
about you.”
As we begin a new year, let us each evaluate our appearance
and the message we send by the way we look.
Let’s not justify some of the seemingly small violations of the
missionary dress code. Let’s make our
appearance be part of our commitment to be 100% obedient.
To view the missionary dress guidelines established by the
church, you may go on-line to the lds.org site at https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/dress-grooming
We encourage you to “bee the best you can bee” and “look the
best you can look”.
Vi vogliamo bene,
Presidente and Sorella Waddoups
