As a big sister to her as well as six other siblings (four of whom are also girls), I have a wide range of influence on them in my dress, speech, and actions. The other day Sadie and I got into a discussion about my clothes. I told her God gave girls skirts and wants us to look feminine, which was why I was putting a skirt on that day, and she answered in all seriousness, "Jesus gave me pants!" I wasn't expecting that response and tried to hide my smile as I thought of how best to explain to a three-year-old that yes, God allows us to wear pants, but at the same time He created us as girls and He wants us to look like girls and protect our purity.
Our conversation soon backfired on me when, the next morning, I came downstairs for breakfast still wearing my pajamas: flannel "fuzzy" pants and a T-shirt. "Ellie," Sadie said, "did God make you a girl?"
Scrounging around in the fridge for the milk, I answered, "Yes, of course He did." I thought we cleared this up yesterday. Where is she going with this?
"But you're wearing pants."
Uh oh.
Let it be known now that I wear pants to bed; I wear them when I go jogging; I wear them especially during the winter, when it's cold, or when I'm biking; I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing pants, provided my heart motives are in the right place. I'm at the age where, led by the Spirit, I can make these decisions for myself. But I have sisters who are thirteen, eleven, seven, three, and one years old, and I want to be a role model for them now in this area.
In a day and age where girls are told to "be who they want to be" and let every curve of their body be exposed, it's vitally important that my sisters know the truth. It needs to be reestablished to them (and every young woman) that they're beautiful, they were created by God as girls, they're worth waiting for, and the only ones who should see and know everything about them are God and their future husband. No item of clothing (pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, etc.) should be worn to draw attention. If it's practical, then by all means, yes, wear it.
The pastor from a church we attended this past year thought Mom and Dad had raised us according to some kind of cult based off our views on modesty and family, which is so not true! I want others to see a difference in me because of Christ. I want to honor Him with my body and with my clothes. That doesn't mean I don't struggle with temptation, because I do. There are times I want to "fit in" and feel tired of trying to stay modest when it seems no one else, not even other believers, hold the same convictions I do.
I don't condemn those who are different than me. I was once turned off from someone's blog when it felt like the blogger slammed me for being okay with wearing pants, and that is not what I'm trying to do in this post.
Clothes don't make the Christian; the heart does.
"Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:3-4
Christian young ladies, we need to be confident in who we are in Christ. Our bodies are His temple; we're called to honor that. Today, let's examine our hearts and make Spirit-led decisions regarding every area of our life, including our clothing, to bring Him glory.
What're your thoughts on modesty? Do you have sisters for whom you need to set the example? Comment below!
Blessings,
Ellen S.
I loved reading this post, Ellen! Thanks for sharing. I also was turned off from a blog before because the author seemed to condemn those who wore pants. (I personally am only wearing skirts for the time being, but that's MY convictions at this season in life, not others. Post on that coming.. after Nationals.) I wear what I wear because I want to honor Jesus in everything, including in how I dress.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Lilly! Thx for reading and commenting. <3
DeleteI look forward to seeing your post! Best of luck with Nationals. :) I'm excited that you get to do that!!
I loved this post Ellen! I almost always wear skirts. Just about the only times I wear leggings are for bed or when I'm sick, just because I feel more comfortable in a skirt, but I don't think you should condemn others for their clothing choices (as long, of course, as they're reasonably modest)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, we are not called to condemn, but to love one another and speak truth. <3 Modesty always goes back to the heart.
DeleteThank-you for this! I am the oldest of my siblings (4 girls and 1 boy) and my prayer is that I can be a godly example to them. So thanks! And about the modesty thing as well! We do wear pants, but in swimsuits its normally a shirt or modest one-piece with shorts (long enough to be modest), skirts have to always have pants underneath. And not super short. I have sometimes struggled with these things, and questioned my mom, and her answer is always the same, "We don't want to attract the wrong attention, and we want to be different so other people will see that and see Jesus." So yeah:) Thx!
ReplyDelete-Anaiah B.
Great post, Ellen!!
ReplyDeleteHi, Ellen I was wondering if you could review my fan fiction story.
ReplyDeletehttps://ranchfanfiction.blogspot.com/p/never-look-back.html
Hello Ellen! This is Book Adventurer. I found you from Mrs. M’s blog.
ReplyDeleteI have a blog called Books Are Diamonds. Here’s the link: BooksAreDiamondsBlog.WordPress.com. I’m going to be doing a Christmas Blog Tours, and was wondering if you’d like to be in it. If you are interested, just let me know here or on my blog.
I really enjoy your blog, and how you want to serve the Lord!
This post reminds me of a discussion I had with Jessica when she was about 16 or 17. She's my cover model, as you know. "So," I said, "Andi wears overalls. How is that going to work out for you in these photo sessions?" She said she had an overalls jumper (so I had to make sure I kept the photos waist high and above, Because Andi would not wear a modern-day overalls jumper.) When I asked if this was her mom telling her she had to wear skirts (cuz her mom Chelle was my good friend), Jessica said this was her own decision and she wanted to be a good witness to those who saw her on the cover.
ReplyDeleteI said, "Well, Jessica, it LOOKS like you are wearing overalls on the covers.
Won't some readers think you are actually wearing overalls?"
She said, "I'm not concerned with what anybody thinks. I'm doing this for my own conscious sake." (paraphrased cuz I don't remember her exact words.) I could not argue with that. 😊 Good for Jessica!
She still wears skirts and is very modest, etc. And she has kept it all of these years. She may occasionally, like you, wear pants for some special reason, but if she has, I haven't seen them on her (on FB).
anyway, great post.
Hi Ellen! Thank you for the lovely post! :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked this, because I only wear skirts and sometimes I feel awkward like I don't fit in. But I know that's just Satan telling me I'm not good enough which is a lie. I actually love wearing pretty skirts/dresses because I feel more feminine! This post also reminds me of a REALLY good book called "the lost art of True beauty" by Leslie Ludy. In it, she reinforces the fact that True beauty can never come from anything or anyone other than Christ. <3
Anyway, thanks for the great post and I really appreciate you taking the time to put it out!
I live on a farm so sometimes my work requires me to wear jeans, but the majority of the time I'm in skirts and honestly, I find skirts more comfortable than pants. And I agree that God wants girls to modestly look like the girls he created us to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, it's encouraging to learn about others who share my beliefs :)