"Revealing Too Much"
(by The Honorary Title) 
I'm pretty sure today's song is about a suicidal ex-girlfriend; but the title relates, so we're just going to go with it...This post has sat in my drafts for a few weeks now, and I kept thinking about deleting it. But when the subject came up again this week, I decided to finish it & actually post it. So here goes...
My friend Marlene posted an article on facebook about Christian women showing too much cleavage. Maybe I don't understand because I don't personally have a cleavage {sorry...tmi?}, but I agreed with the article & have thought some of the same things before. I am not trying to come across as judgmental, so I hope that's not how I sound. I'm sure that most Christian women do not put on clothes with the intention of causing a man to lust. And I'm sure it can be difficult to find appropriate clothes at times. It's hard for me, & I have very little to cover! But I wear tank tops under almost everything, especially tops that are low cut. And I have several friends who are more blessed than I am, and they manage to cover up quite well.
At a women's ministry event this week, Marcie briefly touched on this same subject. She talked about us setting an example for our daughters. And she said that the way we dress needs to be more about loving others (e.g., our brothers in Christ) more than ourselves.
With all that being said, I've been thinking about my clothes lately. Other than revealing too much, there are different wardrobe situations where I could be unintentionally crossing the line. Not that I feel like anyone's looking at me, but I figure the ladies in the article didn't think people were looking at them, either. Plus, I have a daughter, and I spend a lot of time with the students at my church. Though I feel like I do a pretty good job at covering myself appropriately, I'm sure I could do an even better job. Those thoughts (& further discussion with Marlene) led me to another article that provided some guidelines based on 1 Timothy 2:9. I like that it defines the Greek words that are used in that verse, and it gives Christian guidelines without coming across as legalistic (or suggesting that our clothes be frumpy &/or completely cover us head-to-toe).
So I'm not doing anything drastic, because I honestly feel like most of what I have is fine. But maybe I have a few things that are more form-fitting than necessary? I plan on going through my closet & getting rid of anything that I feel isn't becoming, decent, or moderate, as defined in the 1 Tim. 2:9 article. There's a fine line between wearing something that fits & something that is too tight, so I might need a little help from my friends! {I'm not gonna lie: I plan on keeping the shorter shorts that I wear when I ride my bike & work in the yard. And I'll probably wear them with only a tank top that I'd normally wear under something else. Even with sunscreen, I have enough Native American blood in me to tan a little too well. And I'm not a fan of farmer tans. But I very rarely see anyone while wearing that, and I certainly won't wear it to church. Go ahead & judge me!} Anyways...aside from throwing things out, I'll also do what I usually do & wear a sweater or shrug over tighter tops. And that verse is what I'll keep in mind when I go shopping in the future. I've mentioned this before, but clothes shopping isn't easy regardless of your size. And finding modest clothes that are still cute is even more difficult! But it is possible with a little effort.
And tank tops...
Thoughts??
I'm pretty sure today's song is about a suicidal ex-girlfriend; but the title relates, so we're just going to go with it...This post has sat in my drafts for a few weeks now, and I kept thinking about deleting it. But when the subject came up again this week, I decided to finish it & actually post it. So here goes...
My friend Marlene posted an article on facebook about Christian women showing too much cleavage. Maybe I don't understand because I don't personally have a cleavage {sorry...tmi?}, but I agreed with the article & have thought some of the same things before. I am not trying to come across as judgmental, so I hope that's not how I sound. I'm sure that most Christian women do not put on clothes with the intention of causing a man to lust. And I'm sure it can be difficult to find appropriate clothes at times. It's hard for me, & I have very little to cover! But I wear tank tops under almost everything, especially tops that are low cut. And I have several friends who are more blessed than I am, and they manage to cover up quite well.
At a women's ministry event this week, Marcie briefly touched on this same subject. She talked about us setting an example for our daughters. And she said that the way we dress needs to be more about loving others (e.g., our brothers in Christ) more than ourselves.
With all that being said, I've been thinking about my clothes lately. Other than revealing too much, there are different wardrobe situations where I could be unintentionally crossing the line. Not that I feel like anyone's looking at me, but I figure the ladies in the article didn't think people were looking at them, either. Plus, I have a daughter, and I spend a lot of time with the students at my church. Though I feel like I do a pretty good job at covering myself appropriately, I'm sure I could do an even better job. Those thoughts (& further discussion with Marlene) led me to another article that provided some guidelines based on 1 Timothy 2:9. I like that it defines the Greek words that are used in that verse, and it gives Christian guidelines without coming across as legalistic (or suggesting that our clothes be frumpy &/or completely cover us head-to-toe).
So I'm not doing anything drastic, because I honestly feel like most of what I have is fine. But maybe I have a few things that are more form-fitting than necessary? I plan on going through my closet & getting rid of anything that I feel isn't becoming, decent, or moderate, as defined in the 1 Tim. 2:9 article. There's a fine line between wearing something that fits & something that is too tight, so I might need a little help from my friends! {I'm not gonna lie: I plan on keeping the shorter shorts that I wear when I ride my bike & work in the yard. And I'll probably wear them with only a tank top that I'd normally wear under something else. Even with sunscreen, I have enough Native American blood in me to tan a little too well. And I'm not a fan of farmer tans. But I very rarely see anyone while wearing that, and I certainly won't wear it to church. Go ahead & judge me!} Anyways...aside from throwing things out, I'll also do what I usually do & wear a sweater or shrug over tighter tops. And that verse is what I'll keep in mind when I go shopping in the future. I've mentioned this before, but clothes shopping isn't easy regardless of your size. And finding modest clothes that are still cute is even more difficult! But it is possible with a little effort.
And tank tops...
Thoughts??
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