Words from a Child's Mouth

I am in awe at some of the things that come from my 5 year old cousin's mouth sometimes.  Not because they are bad words.  But because of what she seems to know about God even though her mom tries to take God entirely out of the picture.

I do not talk much about God to her, as I've said before, I don't wish to start a family rift.  I have talked to her a little bit about my veil and about why I wear skirts and always have my shoulders covered (as she calls it).

One day while in the waiting room at the doctor's, the little one told her mom Mom, you know what I think?  I think when we talk, God is telling us what to say and we are speaking for Him.  Although not entirely correct because we know there is the devil who comes into play and can cause us to say words, I think it is amazing that she would be able to grasp that concept.  Her mom's response?  No honey, you are in control of your words.  While I understand why it is not a good idea to let a child believe that they have no control over what comes out of their mouths, I do not think taking God completely out of the picture was appropriate either.  But then again, my cousin is not a religious person at all. 

Yesterday she asked to see my shoulders, probably the 10th time in two months, and again I told her no because I keep mine covered all the time.  She asked if it was because I didn't want others to see my body and I said yes.  Her response?  That's good, I know some people like for others to see their body but I don't like when they do that!  She continued to say that she likes to keep covered up too and doesn't like for people to see her body.  I can only hope that she keeps that same thinking as she grows up and experiences more and more peer pressure to fit "the mold".

Then last night on the way home from dinner out, my 5 year old cousin tells her mom how God is a "boy".  Her mom challenges her saying that maybe God is a girl.  The 5 year old contemplates this thought for a minute and proceeds to say, No, God must be a boy because He seems like a boy in the book.  Again, for a 5 year old to process that in half a minute?  I was blown away, good thing her mom couldn't see my face because I was grinning.  So amazed at the knowledge of a child who has not been brought up to know God by her parents. 

I don't have my own children yet, but if God allows that to happen one day, I can only hope that my children will speak so freely of God, allowing adults to be amazed at their knowledge and faith in the Lord.

Blessings in Christ,

 

Headcovering in the News

I was searching the internet for new links to add for headcoverings and modest dress and came across this USA Today article from 2006!  I got so excited!!  Crazy, I know, but it is exciting to me to come across an article that discussed Christian "haircovering".  The article did not focus on sects that normally cover, but rather mainline Christians who are choosing to cover and wear more modest clothing. 

This was written in 2006!!  Back in 2006 I hadn't even heard about headcovering except for what I had seen in Amish settlements but I had absolutely no clue why they wore it. 

Here's the story for anyone who would like to read it.  Rather simple article, but I was still happy to see it. 

Blessings in Christ,

 

Modesty is Appreciated

Over at Amish America, Erik posed a question...

"Are plain businesses the only place where 'modesty is appreciated' anymore?"

What do you think?

The point was brought up in the comments that people have different definitions of "modest".  That was quite evident by what people defined as modest. 

I wonder...

How do you define modesty?  Do you think it would be okay to wear shorts under your skirt for extra modesty or is that wrong?

Blessings in Christ,

 

Modesty for Men

Many, many churches set rules for what is modest for a woman to wear. But how many of them set rules for what a man can wear and still be modest? Why do so many of them ignore the male modesty issue but tread so heavily on the modesty of women?

This has been something that I have yet to figure out. And one of the reasons why I have respect for the Duggar family. They emphasize modesty for not only their girls, but also their boys.

The Bible does not simply mean that a woman must dress modestly and a man can wear whatever he like, he still has to follow the modesty guidelines set forth by scripture. Isaiah 47:2-3 says 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Although we might say this scripture referrs to a woman uncovering her thigh, can we really say that if a woman's thigh would be nakedness, a man's thigh is not?

As I've mentioned in a post a while back, many of the Conservative Mennonite churches have "guidelines" which are more than guidelines for what is modest...for women. They say, a woman should wear a cape dress, with sleeves that are ____ length, colors in the following families: ____, yes or no to patterns, yes or no to ribbon, yes or no to zippers, etc at all times. The men? Should wear pants and a long sleeve shirt for church. Nothing further stated on what men should wear during the week.

I had the opportunity to chat with someone I met last summer for a few minutes yesterday when she and her husband came into the restaurant where I work today. She said those "regulations" were the main reason why she left the church I am currently attending and went to the church where they go now. As she put it, the men do not have the same regulations as the women do, you would not know a Mennonite man except for his wife. She attends a church now that simply states modest clothing, with some shoulder, a high neckline and skirts that are at least knee length. The woman must also wear a veil, but the size, color and shape are up to her and her husband. The men would dress like "English" guys you would see wearing jeans and t-shirts or polos during the week but khakis or black dress slacks and a nice shirt for church on Sunday.

Should we teach our boys that tank tops are modest? If they are not modest for girls then they are not modest for boys. Should we teach them it is okay to let their trouser's waist set at their knees and that it is modest to do so? Not if we consider it immodest for our girls to do so. Although women do not tend to fall toward physical lust as often as men may, there are still sisters who are physically attracted to men passing by.

Not only should we stress modesty for both men and women, but if we are saying the women must dress to show that they are "set-apart" from the English lifestyle, then why are the men allowed to dress like the English? If we need to dress the set-apart style it should fall on the men's shoulders as well. This is one area where I do have lots of respect for the Amish, they require set-apart dress for both men and women in their churches.

Jesus taught by example and lead by example, that should be how a Christian man should be -- leading by example. The man is to be the leader of the household, how can a leader hold the people under him to a higher standard than he holds himself to? IMHO, if we set one standard for our women, we need to uphold our men to the same standard. If elbows are not to be shown, it should be on both men and women, if ankles are not to be shown, it should go for both men and women.

Blessings in Christ,

Modesty

One thing I have been thinking about lately is how can I, as a Christian sister, help my Christian brothers not lust after me?

Lust is such a hard thing to avoid as each man is triggered by different things. Some may be triggered by a woman's hair, some by a woman's eyes, some by a woman's smile, etc etc. So how can I prevent all these different lusts? Am I not supposed to smile? Am I not supposed to open my eyes when in the presence of a man? Of course not. All we can do as sisters is do our very best, follow scripture and the convictions God has laid upon each one of us.

I personally feel the best way I can do this is to dress modestly. That will help many boys and men stray away from lust. I have my own convictions on what is modest as does each one of you, that does not make it wrong per-say as long as we are obeying God's word on the topic and we feel that He has made our convictions and not that we are making our convictions His...

What is modest?

The Bible has this to say:
1 Timothy 2:9 - In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

The word "modest" in greek is kosmios (2887). This greek word is used in 1 Timothy 3:2 as "of good behavior". In greek, kosmios is defined as well ordered, orderly, that is to say well behaved, discreet, decorous for the useage of "modest" in 1 Tim 2:9 and well ordered, of persons, orderly, well behaved, discreet, etc for the useage of "good behavior" in 1 Tim 3:2.

The greek word for apparel is katastolē (2689). The only place this word is used is in this verse. It is defined as "equipment, dress, properly a long garment or robe reaching down to the feet" which is derived from katastellō (2687) meaning to "send or let down".

Array is defined (from the greek word) as apparel. This last statement adds to the modest part that we should not wear expensive apparel. Each of us has our own convictions on what "expensive" means. The greek word for "costly" does not give us a price point, it simply says "the very uttermost or highest cost, very expensive or costly". We are left to determine what is expensive and what is not.

I still struggle with some aspects of the Biblical definition of a Christian woman in 1 Tim 2:9. I once wore earrings and a necklace. I no longer regularly wear them but I still do want to wear the earrings every once in a while. I wear a watch, but I do not feel that a watch is "jewelry" per-say because it has a practical use, although some of the watches that are sold today are very well jewelry. It all depends on the style in which one chooses. Even though the definition of katastolē is "reaching down to the feet" I do not feel convicted that my dresses have to reach the floor. Some of them do, but not all of them. Some of my skirts are mid-calf length and for working I truly do not feel that is inappropriate. Maybe one day my convictions will change, but right now, I do not feel like I am dishonoring the Lord by wearing a little bit shorter dress or skirt.

The only part in the verse discussing a woman's hair says that it should not be braided, however, the greek definition for braided hair is "broided hair (sometimes wrongly printed as broidered or braided) anything twined or plaited". This leads me to believe that it may not necessarily be the same as what we would think of as braided today. Scripture does not tell us the exact style we must wear our hair in.

Modest does not mean old-time or "unfashionable". You can be fashionable and modest at the same time. By fashionable I mean, not prarie (or Amish) as is what a lot of our society thinks of when someone says modest. If someone attends a church where their dress is dictated, then so be it, she should follow the rules set out by her church, but if she does not have those rules set for her, there are so many varieties of modest dress. None of them are the "right" one and nor are any of the styles "wrong" as long as the woman feels convicted by the Lord.

Blessings in Christ,

Colors -- Are they immodest?

Is there such a thing as a "wrong" color to wear? One that we should consider immodest or not appropriate to wear? In my humble opinion, I do not think so. God created every color we have, He created the rainbow, the robin's eggs, the sunset, the sunrise, the flowers, all of which use various colors. I am a colorful person and love to wear colors. I feel drab when I wear dark colors, but I do understand their purpose. There are some circumstances which do not call for bright colors, but on an everyday basis, I love to wear the colors which He created for us!

God did not just create blues, purples, greens, black and white, He also created reds, oranges, pinks, yellows and the various shades of each of these. If we allow only certain colors to be permissible for wearing, what are we saying? My closet has always looked like a rainbow, some colors more numerous than others :), but I have felt that if God created the colors, then why should I not wear them? I do not feel that a color will make a person's clothing immodest, I believe it is more the size/fit of the clothing which makes it modest or immodest.

Just a small random post, but this has been on my mind lately :)

Blessings in Christ,

Modest Women

So this week might be the perfect week to talk about modesty and and Christian women.

1 Tim 2:9-15 (KJV) states:
9: In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.
10: But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
11: Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13: For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14: And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
15: Not withstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

The only word we really need to look at in the Greek is in verse 9 for "apparel" which is katastolē. Katastolē means equipment, dress, properly a long garment or robe reaching down to the feet, according to greattreasures.org. Now my interpretation of "robe" would be the equivalent of today's dress or skirt. Yes it does say reaching down to the feet and I guess that I have yet to get there, but it is because of Isaiah 47:2-3 where it says "2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.".

What is modesty? Well as defined by Webster, modesty is "That lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance. In females, modesty has the like character as in males; but the words is used also as synonymous with chastity, or purity of manners. In this sense, modesty results from purity ofmind, or from the fear of disgrace and ignominy fortified by education and principle. Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the firchest gem in the diadem of their honor."

What is Christian Modesty? As defined by Jeff Pollard, Christian modesty is "the inner self-government, rooted in a proper understanding of one's self before God, which outwardly displays itself in humility and purity from a genuine love for Jesus Christ, rather than in self-glorification or self-advertisement."

My skirts are all at minimum knee length, but most of them are mid-calf and I have 2 that are ankle length. However, I would like to wear them longer...right now this is a battle with my mom. She thinks I make myself look older than I am when I wear long skirts. But maybe this wouldn't be a bad thing since I recently got asked if I was with the 6th grade...as in a 6th grade student.

What is your thought about how Christian women ought to dress? Does the word katastolē have an influence on your opinion or no?

Blessings in Christ,

My Journey to Modesty and Covering

I thought now might be a good time to share this with you.

I was raised in a home that attended church about 75% of the time, so not bad. We have always attended a Lutheran church, but we started out in the Missouri Synod and then ended up where we are now, ELCA, when the pastor left. For those who aren’t that familiar with the “synods”, there are three main synods, Wisconsin, Missouri and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. They are the most conservative to the most liberal in the order listed.

While I was in grade school my mom was fairly conservative with what my sister and I could wear, she didn’t like jeans that were “pasted” to us or shirts that were too high (belly shirts) or those that dipped too low. Of course, the school dress code helped address some other things such as length of shorts/skirts, and sleeves on shirts, but I think my mom wouldn’t have allowed sleeveless shirts to school and then mini-skirts were always a no-no in her standards. As we got older, we pushed her a little bit, but she never gave in (my sister pushed more than I did). I was one of those people who did not wear anything that was “in-style” at the time of it being “in-style”. Yes, I was difficult!

Since 8th grade, I have had a fascination with the Amish and Mennonites. It started with just reading books about them (fictional mostly), then visiting Lancaster in June 2008. After that visit, I started to try to “figure out” their doctrine more and more. Eventually, I came to headcovering and realized that it was something in the Bible (my mom had always said it was cultural) and I felt convicted. So in February 2009 I bought my very first covering. I went straight in…getting a traditional round covering. In May-ish, when I moved back home from school I decided to buy a veil so that it would be less awkward around my parents whom I hadn’t told anything to as of yet. Eventually, my mom saw my “Amish hat” and was mortified by it; I’m still not allowed to tell family that I believe in headcovering because it’s so awful. Well around the time I started to move home is when I joined two Yahoo! groups to support other Christian women who felt called to headcover. One member on there provided me with multiple scripture references to modesty and from that point I agreed on modesty. The initial problem was, are pants considered modest if they are baggy enough? I eventually decided not and began to wear skirts all the time in early June 2009. My mom still doesn’t like it and when I was going to help get a Christmas tree for my boyfriend's family, she told me I wasn’t allowed to leave the house in a skirt – it was too cold and to go picking a Christmas tree out in a skirt was absolutely silly. So I deal with that and her “you know what I would tell you to wear” when I ask for ideas of clothes to wear when I’m substitute teaching (she’s referring to pants).

Since June, I have worn pants a few times, but mostly not by choice, it’s mostly been my mom and dad telling me that I’m not allowed to do a certain activity in a skirt so I must go change. I have put away all my jeans though and so my pants are now sweatpants which are baggy so I feel a little more modest than I did in my jeans, but still not as modest as I do in my skirts.

Currently, I lean towards my solid chapel veil, but I also like my cecily veils too. My skirts are all at least knee length, but the majority of them are mid-calf. I am definitely not plain, but I do my best to dress in a way that I feel the Lord would approve.

Blessings in Christ,