Friday, January 16, 2009

Modesty, Femininity, and the Bible

As I have watched many blogs I have noticed that many of them encourage Young Ladies to wear modest, and feminine clothing. But they say to do it to be feminine, to feel feminine. They give no Biblical reasoning, though, so what reason should we do it other than to feel good?

Deuteronomy 22:5 (KJV) 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 an abomination unto the LORD thy God.”

I am not sure why they don’t base it on the Bible, but I know I dress modestly because the Bible says to, not just to feel good. It does feel good to dress femininely, but because I know it is what is right, and it is right based on the Bible.

If a man is daring enough now days to wear a dress in public, people grimace and say “What a shame.” Or (this is me!!) “Gross.”(actually this is also getting unpopular to hear) That is getting out of hand today too; the sodomites are becoming more and more open and popular. Well that is another subject that I will try to LORD-willing hit on some other time.

So a man wears a woman’s garment and it is considered an abomination, but women regularly wear men’s clothing (pants are a mans garment!) and it is not considered bad or wrong. Why not? Our society is getting run down and wicked. Noone wants anything to do with God, or what is pure and right.

A woman who wears a long, full, modest skirt is looked upon as a stuck-up religious fanatic, and a man who does is totally gross (this isn’t even what most people think now). But a man who wears pants is normal, and a woman who wears pants is just normal? I don’t think so!

I have been called many things by others, even family members, they think we are legalistic; we take the BIBLE to seriously! Excuse me, but what exactly is the BIBLE for?

The BIBLE says

“For the word of God[The BIBLE] is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12(KJV)

It is to lead us in the path that God has for us. To lead us in the way HE wants us to go. If the BIBLE says something, then we need to obey it. It is our guidebook, and we need to follow the whole thing, not just part of it.

I may be called a religious fanatic-I’m not – I only do what I think and believe is right. I may be called a legalist- I’m not- I [try to] do EXACTLY what the BIBLE says.

“And what concord hath CHRIST with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with and infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

2 Corinthians 6:15-17

We as Christians need to be separated from the world and follow the LORD, not the worldly fashions and styles of the infidels(non Christians in the world today). We need to look different- because we are different. Most “Christians” of today aren’t any different than the world. If you ask the average person if they are a Christian, they will most likely say “Yes, of course.” But you would not be able to tell that by just looking at them!

I have compiled a list of standards I use for dress. If you don’t dress this way- it doesn’t mean you are not a Christian, It only means your standards are different. There are not any set standards in the Bible for dress. We use these standards to veer away from lust, as well as stay feminine. You can be immodest (attracting the eyes/lust of men) in a skirt, just like you can be immodest in pants. But what does the BIBLE say?

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, for all that do so are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5, KJV)

So we don’t wear pants, because that would be an abomination the LORD. But we need to dress modestly as well, as it is an abomination to the LORD to attract lust.

*NOTE: Boys proceed at your own risk with caution!!*

This is the standards I use to know whether something is modest or not. You will not find anywhere in the BIBLE a set of rules or standards, that is something that you will be held accountable for, someday before God.

I will start with skirts, as that seems to be one of the biggest problems.

1. Is it long enough?

It must be long enough to drape 3 inches over your knee when sitting down. If you cross your legs, it is best that it will still drape 3 inches below the knees with your legs crossed

2. Is it to tight?

8inch ease, on one side, at the thighs. To measure this; hold the material in your hand and twist it around your hand- you should be able to turn your hand totally around(without stretching the material) and the material should wrap around your WHOLE hand.

3. Why is it still to tight, even though I have enough ease?

You should be careful to stay away from fabrics that stick to you, I realize sometimes the material will stick because of static, but that is not what I mean. There are sleezy fabrics that no matter how full of a skirt you make out of it, you can still see every line of your body.

Now I shall address shirts.

Button-up “dress shirts”(blouses)

1. Is it long enough? Does the shirt “stay down”(cover your belly) when I lift my arms above my head? If it doesn’t; don’t wear it, or wear a t-shirt under it.

2. Does the neck come high enough? This question is very hard to answer. I normally wear my top button un-buttoned, but if it comes more than an inch below my collar bone, I will wear a t-shirt under it.

3. Are the buttons to far apart? If you stand in front of the mirror, can you see between the buttons to what is underneath? This can be fixed by a t-shirt, but it is probably to small, unless the buttons are really far apart.

4. Can you see the lines of your ahem- “undershirt”? If you can it is probably too tight.

5. Can you see its outline? Especially if you are not wearing white underneath, it is easy to see more. Make sure the color is not visible!

This I think covers most of my standards. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will clarify.

Once again, this is not found in Gods word, these standards are how the Lord has convicted me to dress. I will not be held accountable, before God, for the way you dress, you will, so I ask you to Pray and consult the BIBLE, and the LORD will show you the way to go.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Just some of my interesting thoughts. :P

Which way are YOU turning?
A few days ago I was thinking about what I had read on another blog recently. And as I was thinking my sister brought up the fact that in 9 months I can learn how to drive. When she mentioned this suddenly I was turning to the right, off of my Blogger Dashboard, and heading to Miss Serenity’s Blog, thinking about a post I had just read on her blog.
Then I backtracked to my “Blogs I Follow”, and went straight ahead to pay a visit to Miss Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart. Then I was turning left to drop a note to my dear friend Kristy at Misty Kristy Designs.
I thought it was kind of funny how I put the two things together. Now when I am on my blog I think about which way I am turning.


Just a funny happening.

A few months ago a few men in our church sent their papers in to get approved to visit a jail, so they could start a jail ministry. A few days later a lady called our church, and talked to our Pastor. She was wondering if there was a mess up because three of the men’s middle names were “F”. Just “F”. So she thought there was something wrong. Upon asking around it was found that all three men held the same middle name. “F”. Just plain old “F”.


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Low Expectations

As I have been out and about recently I have been surprised to find out just HOW low the expectations of the world really are. I knew that it was getting bad, but I didn’t realize just How bad.

A few months ago, my mom and I went into town to get groceries and things we needed. Well I was starting to not feel well, and my back was really hurting me, so I just wanted to hurry and get out of the store.

Well we were finished, we thought we were anyways, but then my mom remembered a couple more things we needed to get, so I asked her if I could go up and get in line. She said I could, so I did.

At our grocery store we have self-checkouts, so I went to one of those, because they seem to go faster. Anyways, I was watching the lady in front of me. She had a lot of stuff(I can’t say anything else, b/c we had more! :P)

Well she wasn’t putting it in bags as she went, she was just ringing it all up, but it was backing up, so stuff was staying on the roller, and making it so she couldn’t ring stuff up.

So I went up to her and asked if I could bag her stuff for her. She was so shocked, she just stood there looking at me. Then she said “well, ah, you can… but, you don’t have to.” I said “Oh no, its ok, I’ll help you!” So I bagged her stuff for her. She would not stop saying things like “you’re wonderful” and such. And she wouldn’t stop thanking me, she couldn’t comprehend why I WANTED to help her.

I didn’t see how what I did was so great. I was just helping someone who needed help. Since I didn’t have a tract with me at the time, I started praying that the Lord would allow me to see her again, so I could give her one.

The following week we were in the store again, and I saw her, a couple lanes over. I got a tract from my dad and gave it to her. She was very receptive of it. I didn’t help her though b/c we only had a couple things, it was late, and I knew my dad wanted to get home.

Well we had a problem, and he had to go to the customer service desk. It was the perfect opportunity. I went over there and helped her again. She kept insisting that she had to pay me for helping her. Well I refused it. I was just helping someone as Jesus would have done.

As I was finishing up one of the workers came over to help her with something, and as she left she thanked me.

What was I doing differently than anyone else? I didn’t see it then, but I realize now. It didn’t happen often that a girl just went up to someone and offered to help them. Why not? Most of the kids I see in the store are messing around, acting dumb, talking on their cellphones.

Parents think that kids my age should have no work all play. Kids don’t WANT to work. That is b/c their parents don’t MAKE them work.

I like to work. It makes it so I don’t get bored. Sometimes I have more fun when I am working than I do when I am just sitting around. I’ll admit, I don’t ALWAYS WANT to work, sometimes I don’t do it with the right heart. But I don’t detest work, like most kids.

My dad is a teacher, and in his school, the kids have to get a 70, to pass a quiz or a test, and to be allowed to go on field trips, and do certain things. Think about it, a 70. I am not kidding you!

To pass one of my tests I have to get at least an 90, without having to do a lot of extra studying! My parents(not to mention me) would be sick if I got just a 70! Even if my mom let me pass with a 70, I’d be so ashamed!

What are these kids doing in school? A few years ago my dad had me and my siblings do some of the questions on the MEAP tests. Just to see what we could do, he had us try some questions from a few grades ahead of us. I was in 5th grade at the time and I was able to easily do the 7th grade math, so could my siblings who were in 4th grade.

What is up? Why are those kids so dumb? I mean, why can 4th grade homeschoolers do the 7th grade MATH MEAP test? We have just lost all common sense anymore!

Lets help raise these expectations. I have heard a lot about the Harris boys book

“Do Hard Things.” I would love to get my hands on a copy of it, but at the moment, that probably won’t happen. But I can Do Hard Things myself.

Who will join me? Lets work together and do this. If you see someone who could use the help, HELP. If you have chores you are expected to do, Do Them, then ask what else you can do! When you are out in public, Hold the door open for the people behind you. Let elderly people go before you(boys let girls go first!).

If you are asked to do something, do it cheerfully, with a smile. Do it heartily, do it quickly, and to the best of your ability.

If you have any other suggestions about Hard things we can do to show others that Christians don’t have the low expectations of the world, please leave a comment, also please share what Hard thing you did, and what were the reactions of others.