Swapping Clothes and Swapping Hearts

Money and personal finances have never been one of my areas of strength for me.  This is sort of funny coming from the daughter of a financial planner.  But honestly, this area of my life has also been an area of great shame for many years.  The amount credit card debt that I have accrued in the name of numbing, impulsivity and distraction is significant.  It blows my mind just how much the way I spend my money says so much about the state of my mental health. The more I start to feel the *tick* of wanting someTHING that fills that void of the holy holes (you know the places where God wants to live but I won't let Him in) for a few seconds, that anxiety sets in that makes me wonder if this one "thing" is going to make people see me as the person I want them perceive me to be.

After it was clear our family's mental and physical health was going to be a financial priority for us this year, it was evident God had placed me in a chapter of my life where I was going to have to face many inner demons that used money and consumerism as a way to avoid the places God so deeply wanted to exist in my own life.

And once I let God into this deep, dark space, I was further introduced to the idea of clothes swapping by some of my friends in St. Louis.  For those new to the idea of swapping clothes, the concept behind clothing swaps is when people bring some of their clothes, shoes or accessories in good condition to their friend's house, church, thrift store to swap with others in attendance.  Each swap brings in the opportunity to connect to other people whose heart is into breaking the chains of consumer culture, connecting deeper to my community and appreciating their growing sense of being both thrifty and fashionable.

This weekend in St. Louis, I am going to be attending a few clothing swaps to bring my spring wardrobe together but also to help raise money for a local charity doing amazing work on behalf of the following charity:

 The Covering House-St. Louis

If you are in St. Louis, I strongly urge you to consider "swapping" your trip to target for spring clothes for a trip to this event where fashion is literally paying it forward.