“We women must realize how visual men are, and because of that we should wear modest clothes. Not because we don’t have the right to wear what we want, but for the benefit of the spiritual life of our brothers in Christ.”
~ Heather Arnel Paulsen ~
Emotional Purity: An Affair of the Heart
Our church recently imposed a dress code for all members especially the youth and young adults. Most youth was upset about it and murmured that the elders don’t have the right to tell them what to do and since we’re living in a free country we should have the right to choose whatever clothes we want. I get their tantrums, I myself was a bit guilty of not dressing accordingly and I realize that it’s very wrong. Since the Havaianas explosion I often go to church wearing those slippers and Sunday dresses was a bit corny now that I switch to casual ones. I only wear skirts when I’ll be singing in the choir or presiding at the church service. I had forgotten that although our physical appearance don’t matter to God, how we present ourselves in God’s presence truly matters.
Yes, it’s the modern times gone is the traditional dresses that we used to follow. While having a conversation with my choir mate she told me that we must wear what we want and go against the church policy and if no one follows them they can’t send us all to disciplinary action. I do hate rules and I don’t really like it when someone tells me I can’t do this or that, I guess that’s just my rebellious side but I truly understand where the church leaders are coming from. They don’t intend to go back to the traditional ways, they just want us, the ladies especially to know that we should refrain from going with the world. We are God’s children and we should always be seen as a reflection of God’s holiness. We should respect ourselves and dress in a way that we could gain respect. We should not let anyone fall into sin just because of our provocative way of wearing inappropriate clothes.
Emotional purity is such a difficult subject to teach our younger generation but they should realize that God sees all the impurities in our heart and although He still loves us no matter what, we should be the mirror of God’s purity to others. Physical appearance does matter, whether we like it or not and we should always honor our God even in the way we present ourselves to others.
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
My cousins are from a very conservative baptist church, and they sometimes ask us about how our girls/ladies dress up.
When we were kids, they often ridiculed my sister for wearing pants, and she in return make fun at their lack of fashion.
But we later learned to respect each other and how we carried ourselves. THe dress won’t matter anymore in the light of fellowship. I guess they’re not that strict anymore these days.
It’s not the rules but the heart. But we cannot also use the freedom of expression at the expense hurting relationships. Much more with rules.
But as to the dress, where’s our sunday’s best when we go to church for corporate worship? It’s one way of giving our best to the master.
(sorry for this long comment emmyrose)
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I’m with you. I don’t like rules that can easily become legalistic and lose the purpose behind them. But I do believe that we have a couple of generations who are quickly forgetting what appropriate is! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
we’re living in a free country
My daughter has tried this! I don’t think she even varied the words.
I told her that she doesn’t understand the concept of freedom. She was born free and unencumbered by rules, but that doesn’t mean that she can do what she wants. It means that if she continues to demonstrate responsiblity, she gets to hang on to her dear, sweet freedom. If she cannot or will not behave responsibly, she loses her freedom. Those in authority make the rules and get to decide what responsibility looks like. You are free to exceed those standards, but you cannot transgress them. That is how our country works. You are innocent and free until you are proven to have broken a rule. After all, freedom without responsibility is anarchy and chaos.
Then we did a Bible study on people with God-given authority in her life ~
October 24th, 2007 at 4:43 am
We were in a church that was “dresses only” ALL the time for the ladies. Though I still wear dresses more than I don’t, it depends on the situation and what will be make me more modest. Climbing a ladder, painting my girls’ room this week would not be modest in a skirt! LOL! And, it does have to be personal conviction, though, the way our world has gone, to the far extreme of NO modesty, sometimes guidelines need to be set to keep us reminded of the modesty. Thank you for sharing.
Feel free to write about our book drawing to be a part of that! I think you will like it!
October 24th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
IMO, dress code is not actually rooted theologically but culturally. What may be deplorable to another group is acceptable to the other. The key is -modesty. Dress appropriately in context. “give to caesar what is to caesar, and to God is what belongs to him,” principle applies in this issue. If the church impose it -then respect it. Outside the church, dress the way you want to. Anyway, God sees the worshiper not the dress. ^_^
October 31st, 2007 at 7:48 am
It’s amazing to me how much influence the world can bear on believers and how that is reflective in the way they dress. Since the “cleavage” has come back in style, I have watched my fellow sisters in the Body succumb to that same way of dressing. First I went to a baby shower and noticed it, and then here a little, there a little, and finally it seemes as if the “yeast” had infected the whole batch. Sad, truly, that the ones in the world can set treads for God’s own children, and then it becomes true that there is no (or seems to be no) difference between the two groups. It also brings temptation to the brothers in the Body. Soon everyone thinks it is normal fare. I believe it does more harm spiritually than it appears to on the surface. Satan does use the lust of the flesh to capture his victims. It’s one of the snares of the fowler the Lord tells us to not be ignorant of.