The Fad Wagon: Current Trends and Christian Constants

Photo by: KROMKRATHOG

I’m looking through idea media and noticing the trends.

In fashion:

• Chevron stripes in every color, size, width, on everything from skirts to dresses and scarves . . . .
• Scarves—You’re not dressed without something hanging from your neck. The infinity scarf is the thing. (Let’s see how long infinity lasts!)
• Jeans jackets—If you don’t have one, you are seriously missing it. (I don’t . . . yet!)
• Super high heels—In Spanish, we call them “vertigo heels.” I guess that works in English, too. That designer with the red soles, wow! One has to be a ballerina to wear those.
• Ballerina flats—Shoes can’t be in the middle. They must be either teeter-totter high or super flat. (You’ll see me in flats.)
• Lace—On everything! Everything made of. Dresses, skirts, tops . . . you name it, and almost everything in white lace—or black.
• Jewelry—the huge collar-like necklaces are back after many years. (I think Cleopatra was the last one?) They make me think of my grandmother’s times. They’re called “statement” necklaces.
• Mismatched colors—Today, we see a whole outfit in navy and white paired with yellow shoes and a red bag. That would have been a no-no a few years back. (I’m still trying to get my head around blue and black with tan belts and shoes!)

In home decoration:

• Chevron stripes on walls, pillows, throws, nurseries, and on beds. Herringboned furniture and flooring, too.
• Turquoise—Everywhere you look, there’s turquoise. In the kitchen, in the bath, and on walls, floors, and tables. Turquoise is the color, except for . . .
• Gray—Paired with turquoise, pink, or alone, gray is having a renaissance. You’ll find gray on walls and furniture in every room and often used in bed linens.
• White—Lots and lots of white. Some homes are all white. (I wonder if they have children, cats, or dogs, or if they actually cook. Surely, the house isn’t in the country!)
• Plain curtains—It might be an overreaction to the frilly country look, but almost all curtains are straight and long.
• Upscaling—It’s a new word for reusing old stuff in a new way. I personally get a big kick out of wood pallets being used to build sofas, decorate walls, make headboards, and literally thousands of other things. (We burn them to heat our house!) Also popular are vintage suitcases piled high and hung ladders and old windows. Put an old door sideways, add a shelf, and you have a really cool headboard!
• Chalkboards—I actually saw a chalkboard painted refrigerator the other day. (The whole refrigerator, painted black!) There are chalkboard walls, sections of walls, cute framed chalkboards, antique chalkboards . . . you name them chalkboards. I’m wondering how many mothers are sorry they did this after cleaning up the dust day after day.
• Plexiglas stools, chairs, and coffee tables. Simple plexiglas furniture seems to be here to stay.
• Huge pillows to lounge in, on and around. It’s the beanbag idea turned global.
• A chair outside the front door—It’s usually adorned with a chalkboard or another welcome sign and a plant on it or next to it. This chair is not for sitting.

Health and beauty:

• Essential Oils—Who knew? Pure oils to cure everything that ails you.
• Exercise—Planking, burpees, and from couch potato to 5K. All torture—no pain, no gain!
• Diets—Paleo, gluten free, and avoiding milk products seem to top this list.
• Water—Drink it. A lot! Watch out for plastic bottles in warm places.
• Arranged Food—Mothers and grandmas make healthy foods into interesting shapes, so that children will have happy surprises in their lunches and on their plates at home. Palm trees, diggers, faces, shaped pancakes, and cutouts of every description. I stand in awe! I thought only Michelin star restaurants did this.
• Eye liner—Now with a cute curve up at the edge.
• Fake eyelashes—Everyone seems to be buying into this one, even the First Lady!
• RED lipstick—Stained and not glossy, bright red, just like in the 1950s.
• Designer nails—Amazing, simply amazing! Does anyone wash dishes any more? 

Spirituality:

• Quick devotions—Better than none.
• Powerful women—Spiritual leadership of all kinds, biblical and not.
• Secrets—There are so-called “secrets” for prayer, child rearing, praise and worship, understanding the Bible, marriage, and lots more. I have a feeling God told us the secrets He wanted us to know. Maybe we need to get into the Word more?

All kinds of fads. They’ll change in the course of the next five years. Then, we’ll see a whole “new” set of fads. People will be repainting their turquoise walls, giving their chevron-striped clothes to charity, and there will be another health craze and several new diets. The Christian community will be featuring another “secret” and inventing novel worship techniques.

Wise Solomon said, there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

While there’s nothing wrong with most of the fads I listed, let’s look at what God has for us. These things are always “in.”

Here are a few spiritual constants:

• Love—Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
• Joy—Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4).
• Peace—And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
• Hope—By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:2-5)
• Salvation—In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:3).
• Forgiveness—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).
• Freedom—Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).
• God’s Presence—Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:20).

I am thankful that God doesn’t change. The wonderful gifts of faith never go away.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, 
and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and cometh down from the Father of lights,

with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).