God Couture (Video)

A young woman moves to New York to work in the fashion industry. Is she moving into a world of moral compromise, long hours keeping her away from God, and meaningless casual relationships? Not on your life. Like Jesus, she finds that her business is all about people; people she loves.

Transcript:

I grew up on a farm in the middle of Oregon. I went to school in Seattle and then after that moved to New York with some friends, kind of in search of an adventure, but also for a job in the industry. I started working for Ralph Lauren not too long after I got here, and slowly got to where I wanted to be in design.

I spearhead the conceptual part of the design process. I also get to design garments until the very end, so I really am a part of the creative process from start to finish. I think that’s a really unique part of my job - getting to create and design something beautiful and something that’s cohesive and pleasant to the eye. I do that knowing that’s something that my creator has instilled in me.

I think with any job that we’re given, whether we like it or not, it’s meant to be done well and to the best of our ability and used as worship to our sovereign God who has placed us in that position.

I love to create, sketch things, and choose colors and patterns and fabrics. I do get to do that to God’s glory, and it is a form of worship.

With the design process, you’re doing really similar things each season, and I think sometimes I do find myself getting a little bored. Maybe anxious. It’s I those times that I realize that my job is not just for my enjoyment, but it’s really for God’s glory. It’s meant to be done well. And I need to maintain a level of work ethic and quality of design that I’m proud of.

I think the greatest way to worship God in your workplace is by loving those that he’s placed around you. The people around me have been with me for about 3 years, and so we know each other very well. We have many conversations about our personal lives. It’s been a really cool opportunity to be a listener, to be a friend, to love them, and to have them notice that there’s something different about me and the way that I live, the way that I act, the way that I work, the way I treat my boss.

One morning specifically a coworker who’s a good friend of mine turned around and asked, “Why are you happy all the time?” I quickly realized that she wasn’t just joking or teasing me, but she really wanted an answer. There was a long pause and kind of this moment of: I can give her a watered down answer, or I can really use this as an opportunity to tell her why I’m happy. And not just happy, but joyful. I live with hope and purpose.

It’s started many a conversation. She’s definitely searching for happiness. And I got to share a lot of my faith with her. It is an ongoing relationships and an ongoing story. I definitely think my job is much more than just a designer. It’s much more than just designing clothes. I definitely feel called as a missionary in my workplace.

Video by RightNow.org used with permission.