The Outward Adorning

I've never thought of myself as a Feminist, but now I realize that I probably am. God has been teaching me that the way I dress is not up to his standard, and it's been a hard pill to swallow. I posted a video on modesty some time ago, and now I see that what was on that video was not modesty all - at least not God's definition of the word.

Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God." Now in this day and age, I have to admit that one can hardly tell the difference between the clothes of men and women anymore. That includes myself - I only own pants, I wear skirts or dresses only for church on sabbath. And part of me wanted to believe that this Bible text is outdated, and I don't have to pay attention  to it. But I know better than that. Whether or not men adopted pants first (and it could just have easily been women that adopted them) the fact is that today, pants are men's clothing. And by wearing pants, women are adopting clothes that pertain to men. And the Bible says that this is an abomination to the Lord.

Women should not wear tight fitting clothes that stick to the body; but the clothes a woman wears should conceal her figure. Pants do the very opposite of concealing. I have learned that women want to attract attention to themselves - after all, men are visual creatures and are attracted to what they see. So women want to make themselves appear more attractive by wearing make-up and dressing in eye-catching clothing. However, modest women of God should as much as possible deny that inclination to attract attention to self.

Now a lot  of the time, in church when the way women dress is discussed, I always hear members saying that the way women dress drives men to have lustful thoughts - almost like women are responsible for when men sin through lust. And that just bothers me. I agree, we should be our brother's keeper and not lead anyone to sin. But I also think it is unfair to put men's sins so squarely on the shoulders of women. Especially when what provokes lust is subjective.

I asked God to open my eyes, and now a part of me wishes I could close them again. But every word in the Bible is relevant even now - not just then. God does not change; so if it was abomination then, it's abomination now. I feel my thoughts on this issue as discussed here are so disjointed and confusing. But that's just because it's still an issue I am learning, and it's a difficult one. The Bible does not set clear parameters on how long one's skirt or dress should be, or how tight one's blouse should be. So any discussion on modesty to me seems like it would depend on our subjective opinions.

But 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." So to me, there should be no confusion, and in all things, not just the issue of modesty, we should all be of one accord.

It's a hard pill to swallow that the way I dress is not up to God's standard. The changes that are needed are going to be so difficult, but I can do all things through Christ.

It's not a Fence; It's a Guardrail

A lot of people have the conception that Christians are a bunch of stick-in-the-muds who are bound by limitless numbers of laws and rules and dos and don'ts. It is a real tragedy that people think that way. It is all a ploy by the devil to get people to turn away from God. But when I really look at it, ALL God's laws serve a purpose - and that purpose is ALWAYS our own good. It's so obvious all around us. Not doing God's will doesn't make anyone happy or free - it just leads to death and destruction - literally.

The most obvious example I can come up with is relationships - the romantic ones. So much heartache and suffering could be avoided if we just listened to what God has to say about this subject, and do what he says. God ALWAYS knows what's best. After all, He is our Creator, how could he not?

But back to relationships. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodous 20:14. This Commandment includes fornication. If you don't believe that, then here's another text for you: "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" 1 Corinthians 6:18. The Bible is so clear on this. God is not trying to curb our sexual appetites by commanding this; and He is not trying to curb our fun. He made us to have sexual urges and desires. But they were meant to be expressed in the right context - a loving marriage. Instead, we choose to ignore this and what's the result? - Unwanted children, single parenthood, teenage pregnancies, emotional scars and debilitation, STDs, and who knows what else. Now I know unwanted children and single parenthood can happen in marriage or when a spouse dies, but don't get technical with me. My point is, that many of the problems associated with romantic relationships would be nonexistent if we obeyed God's law about fornication and adultery.

There are other examples. What we eat and our lifestyles are two others. If we were to go back to God's original vegetarian diet, with no animals or their by-products, we would be so much healthier. It has been proven by science that eating foods loaded with animal fat leads to health problems like high cholesterol and heart disease. Eating foods high in sugar like sodas and donuts can lead to diabetes. The food God prescribes would cause no debilitating diseases.

My point is, God's laws are there for our protection, and our own good. So why not follow them? It's so hard not to eat that piece of fried chicken when I smell it. But thinking of the damage it can do to my insides - damage that God has foreseen - makes me step away from it. I am trying to be a vegan and it's not easy. I have not eaten any meats for months now, but I'm finding it more difficult to stay away from cheese and yogurt. But I know that these foods are not good for me. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I should treat it as such. By God's grace, and through the strength he gives me, I will overcome. We just have to take it day by day and remember to depend on God for strength.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" 3 John 2.