4:36 p.m. Today's project is to get some meaningful, but not too strenuous, exercise this evening. (It will become more strenuous as the days go by!) I can't help but notice that, although 85% of my clothes fit me well, they aren't quite as comfy as they were last year, and the dress I wore at my daughter Heather's wedding in 2008, well, forget it!
The reason I have some "breathing room" is not buying form-fitting clothes in the first place! We Christian women aren't required to walk around in baggy sacks, but should use good judgment in interpreting I Timothy 2:9, "In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation..." We can be stylish and modest at the same time! Look at any catalog or online--we have thousands of options each season for our own individual taste, coloring and shape. Low-cut or skintight clothes are never the only choices available! Even workout clothes can be loose. It's up to us ladies to model tasteful attire for new believers, for example, not upbraiding or discouraging the gals, but showing them how nice they can look for any occasion. Then they can purchase a more appropriate style when they shop for their next wardrobe pieces.
Our judgmental thoughts tend to focus on visible decolletage, and granted, showing "what's up top" has no place at church! (Or anywhere else for a Christian woman). But my daughter Heidi and I were discussing the extremely short shorts we've been seeing on Sunday morning. Excuse me? How stumbling is the view of a woman's behind, upper thighs and above to any man behind her? And for men of some cultures, viewing a woman's legs is absolutely forbidden. What happens when a gentleman of a more traditional church background comes to church seeking the Lord, but perhaps leaves wondering if he's at a church service or a party? The pastor's words could go in one ear and out the other, and the church's reputation is tarnished. Score one for Satan!
For the married woman who dresses in a vulgar manner, the Lord holds her own husband accountable as head of the home. (Ephesians 5:23, "The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the Head of the church). There is simply no excuse for a display of flesh!
I do want to make a comeback to a healthy weight and better-fitting clothes, and plan to keep eating lots of healthy veggies from the garden along with muscle-building protein, and minimum carbs, since I don't digest them well. To each his (or her) own, but God can keep each of us in optimum condition. Ask Him in prayer what would be the best plan for you!
All I know is, that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him! (I Timothy 1:12)
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