Faith and Family

I know of no other topic discussed among Christians that is as controversial as clothing choices. (And I may live to regret the day I decided to broach the subject on my blog! :)) My own friends’ preferences vary widely, and I think there’s a range of freedom in Christ that we all have to follow our consciences and bring glory to God through our different choices. But I think the topic deserves much prayer and constant evaluation by every Christian woman.

Why should it matter what we wear in public? I can think of several reasons:

1. Everything we do (even eating and drinking) should be done for the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)

2. God wants us to be “chaste.” (Titus 2:4-5) That involves keeping certain sights “on reserve” for your husband or your future husband.

3. Christian women ought to show love for our brothers in Christ by not tempting them to lust at us. (Romans 14:13) Yes, our Christian brothers need to discipline themselves to not sin in their hearts, but we can show love by not making it so difficult for them. (In some cases, they cannot possibly look at a woman at all without seeing something they should not see. This puts them in an awkward position, for sure.)

As women, wired a bit differently than men in some ways, it can be hard to understand what types of clothing do/don’t present a detrimental distraction for men. You may be wondering, “So, should I just wear a turtleneck covered with a burlap sack that reaches the floor for the rest of my life?” No, that would be a bit extreme. To help you make balanced choices, check out this survey:

http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/

Hundreds of Christian men answered this survey to help us understand exactly what types of things can cause a distraction. Note: This was NOT a “fundamentalist” survey. The hundreds of men who responded to this survey most likely came from a broad range of evangelical Christianity.

May God give you wisdom as you seek to bring Him glory in everything!

I received my Lands End catalog yesterday and was, once again, happy to see that they are offering some great swim suit options for people, like me, who LOVE swimming and the ocean but prefer a little more coverage in public. I bought a cute suit from Lands End a few years ago that has both a high neck and comfy swim shorts. It was the most expensive bathing suit I’ve ever bought, but the high-quality suit has the promise of lasting through several summers, and, regardless, I’ve never regretted the purchase. When the decision is between spending more than I’d care to spend and baring more than I’d care to bare, for me, the choice is obvious.