Barnabas Letters, part 7

Hello, Barnabas Ladies! Hope everyone had a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. Here in the US this past weekend is traditionally thought of as the beginning of summer, so I'm going to talk a little about a topic that's of interest year-round, but of special interest during the summer. It isn't one us women are fond of discussing, and when it popped into my head today I tried to ignore it or think of something else, but it just wasn't going away.

So the subject of the day is modesty. I'll start out by saying that I am absolutely not addressing modesty from the perspective of "I've got it all down pat and you all need to sit and listen to my wisdom." I'm going to give you some things to think about, so that you can make decisions on modesty for yourself, using God's wisdom. (BTW this'll be a long one! Strap on your seat belts! haha)

 If you've ever endeavored to study modesty before, you might be a little irritated, like I am, in the fact that the Bible doesn't specifically lay out a pattern for what is and is not modest. There are no specifics about length, fit, sheerness, style, etc. This is good in some ways, and bad in others. It's good (and another sign of God's wisdom, IMO) in that without the specifics, it can apply to all cultures during all times. It's bad in that it means we have to really think about how we dress and conduct ourselves, instead of just wearing a prescribed uniform.

Of course we know that Adam and Eve were created unclothed, and lived in that state for some time. They were like little kids, in that they weren't embarrassed about being naked because they didn't KNOW they were naked. But in Genesis 3, after they both ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they became aware of their nakedness, and sewed clothes from fig leaves for themselves, which God upgraded to clothing from skins. So from this we are at least aware that modesty covers up nakedness. You can't be both naked and modest. (Related anecdote: It's summer of 2000. I'm pregnant with my youngest, my older daughter is 2.5. We are driving past a lake and decide at the last minute to stop and get our feet wet. We are all in shorts but don't have any swimwear with us. Oldest is disappointed, especially as we drive up to a parking place and see all the people ready to swim. A woman in a bikini walks in front of us, and Oldest says with great sorrow, "I wish I could be naked like that lady." Ha!!)

Then in the New Testament is where it really gets difficult. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:9 that women are to dress modestly, with decency and propriety. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy+2:8-10&version=NIV) He also mentions in 1 Corinthians 12 that we have unpresentable parts that we treat with special modesty, and some parts that don't need this treatment. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians+12:22-24&version=NIV) I think this indicates that we don't need to be completely covered (a la the burqa from some Islamic countries) to be modest.

So modesty lies on a point somewhere between nakedness and being covered completely from head to toe. Aren't you glad I cleared that up for you? ;) As I mentioned earlier, we don't have a special type or way of dressing that we are told to follow, as women. We really need to pay attention to our clothing AND behavior on a case by case basis. I tend to believe that modesty is also situational--what would be appropriate for swimming with women might not be appropriate for mixed swimming. What would be appropriate for me to wear to work in the yard might not be appropriate for me to wear to a wedding. What would be appropriate on my 11 year old girl might not be appropriate on my 14 year old young woman. And so on and so forth.

 There are several questions to think about when you're trying to dress modestly. Here are a few I think are important to consider.

*Can I sit, stand, raise my arms, or bend over and still remain covered? If not, am I committed to not moving in the way that exposes me? Is that practical for the occasion? Does my clothing fit properly such that I'm not inadvertently exposed? Try sitting, standing, and moving around in front of a long mirror or trusted friend.
 *Is what I'm wearing suitable to my body type? Big bosomed ladies can have difficulty in button-front blouses, long torsoed ladies can have difficulty in shirts that aren't extra long. A skirt that's just above the knees on a shorter lady may be shorter than you'd like on a taller one!
*What about my undergarments? No Hello Kitty panties with white pants! (ha) Again, this one is subjective. If there's a chance that your bra strap may show with your sleeveless top, is of a color that will blend in, and not something that will draw attention to its exposure? Of course all the men know that we wear undergarments, but if they can see that you are wearing a leopard print bra or hot pink thong they are going to have a hard time remaining pure, not to mention they may not be able to look you in the eyes again!

 Warm weather is here to stay for the next few months, so it's a good time to prayerfully re-evaluate what you wear. If you're married, ask your husband's opinion of what you're wearing. I guarantee they will notice things you don't (Note: when he says, "Wow, you look HOT!" it means you either need to change or stay in). ;) Have some guidelines in mind for yourself when you go to shop, so you know what kinds of clothes will work for you and what won't. And ladies--let's have each others' backs on this issue! I don't mean that I'm going to be the clothes police. But we can all use a second opinion sometimes.

In Christ alone--
 Elena

Barnabas Letters, part 6

Hello Barnabas ladies! I hope everyone had many moments of humming Christian music over the past couple of weeks. :)

This week's email comes to you courtesy of the children's movie Meet The Robinsons. It's kind of a running gag in my family that I hate kid's movies and have weird reactions to some classics (for example, I think Mary Poppins is the saddest movie I have ever seen--Nanny McPhee is a close second). Anyway, when I actually see one, and like it, it's kind of a big deal. :) Meet The Robinsons happens to be one of my favorites, and it's because of this scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNXr5Alytg4

Lewis (the blonde kid) is trying to make a peanut butter & jelly gun and he fails spectacularly. He is very apologetic, but the rest of the family is very encouraging (and appears to have fireworks on hand for just such an occasion!). Their theme is Keep Moving Forward--even when you make mistakes, learn what you can from your mistake and try again.

Isn't that kind of the theme of the Christian life, too? Being immersed doesn't mean we'll never sin again and live a life of perfect righteousness from that moment forward. We're going to fail, and sometimes we'll fail big time. We'll continually be struggling with our flesh, just like Paul in Romans 7:15-20.

 "15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."

So what do we do when we make our mistakes, and figuratively coat everyone around us in our peanut butter and jelly slime? Does it mean it's time to chuck the Bible in the trash because Christianity clearly isn't for you? No, it means it's time to Keep Moving Forward.

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Corinthians 7:10

 There is still hope for us all, as long as it is called today. Brush yourself off, look at your mistakes and see how you can do better next time, and keep moving forward.

In Christ alone--
Elena