On Women Wearing Pants - Readers' Comments...

Recently - I had two intriguing comments on this post that I feel 

are worthy of their own blog post. 

I'll relay them here and let them speak for themselves.

The first one comes from a reader who asked me if wearing a

 certain pair of khaki pants which she adored were a sin.   Of course - 

I had no idea what the pants looked like - but responded with some
 thoughts that I once shared in this post (which links to a 2nd post).

Source

Almost immediately after my response - she responded again - with this...

Not many minutes after I asked you the question, Holy Spirit answered it! 

I was going about my day, when suddenly I was

 overcome with the realization that when I

 wear those pants, 

#1, they clash with the covering, and 

#2, my attitude and demeanor feel gruff and

 sort of dominant. Gross! So immediately I

 changed into a skirt, and BAM, femininity!

How about that?  

And here is a comment or story from another reader...

(I) heard a talk on modesty one time by 2 women who knew nothing

 about wearing dresses... Their husbands after studying the subject

 of modesty came to them asking that they consider wearing modest dresses. 

Their husbands were willing to compromise and allow them to wear

 their pants at home. One of the women forgot to change one day and

 parked in front of the shoe repair place that she was picking up

 her husband's shoes at. She realized her dilemma, but decided she

 was just running in there and back out and back home, so she would

 just run in. She was relieved no other customers were in there, so

 she asked the clerk for the shoes. While he was retrieving the shoes 

from a back room, a male customer walked in and took a seat behind this woman. 

She began wishing the clerk would hurry up, when the customer says, "Those are nice pants you are wearing". She suddenly had something

 revealed to her. The pants she was wearing were "modest pants" in her eyes, 

however, no matter how modest the pants, men look. She expressed how

 humiliated she was and how thankful her husband brought something

 to her she had never before had revealed to her Biblically.

Again - you can go to the original post and read the full comments there.  

I continue to be uncomfortable in pants in public.  Even when

 riding motorcycle with my hubby - I wear a knee length full skirt

 over heavy leggings or pants.  

Just some food for thought for you on this lovely - almost fall - day! 

Be blessed!  ~Joyce

Skirt to Pants....

Have you seen these Macabi skirts?  They convert to 

pants or long shorts in short order.  They were created by 

an outdoor enthusiast who was wishing to be culturally 

sensitive to a region she was visiting.   

They're not as expensive as you might think for a 'specialty' 

clothing piece.  And there is a close-out section.  

I just think they're kinda fun... and a good modesty option.  

(Again - not a paid post folks - just passing it along...)

May 2014 find us pleasing our Father!  ~Joyce

Modesty and Gift Giving...

I may stretch some of you with this post - not sure... (hopefully I don't lose any of you.)  

 Have you discovered 'boyfriend pants' - as they're called 

at some stores?  These are often embellished with 

vintage-look school-type graphics.  Basically -

 they are 'sweat pants'.  They have a fuller more modest 

cut than much of what's out there in young women's fashion.  

If you have someone on your gift list that needs some 

modesty encouragement - - these may be helpful...

Source

Yes - I'm a skirt and dress girl.  But for the times 

when something else is required - these are a decent solution. 
They look like they'd be super cozy for house lounging!

An Article About Wearing Skirts...

There are many articles and websites out there that address 

the topic of modesty in one form or another.

  (Headcovering too - but this post relates to modesty.)  

Rather than reinvent the wheel with each post - 

sometimes it's good to just share what's already been written.

Today I'm linking to an article by Stacy McDonald.  

The topic?  'Why We (mostly) Wear Skirts'.  

She also gives great 'heart tips' to help define modesty.  

I'm thinking we can all be challenged by what she writes.  

Thanks Stacy for communicating your heart so clearly.
  

Go read her blog post at 'Your Sacred Calling'.

Distinctly Female - Does It Matter?

As a woman - how important is it to look like a woman?  Does God care about that?

  Let me offer some thoughts...

   

We have all grown quite accustomed to seeing women in pants.  

It has become a way of life.  But let me assure you when women first started 

wearing pants - it wasn't just the Christians who were in an up roar - 

it was seen as distinctly going into the male world. 

Now ladies - let me ask you - are you prepared to get accustomed to seeing men 

wear skirts?  When I see this (and I have!)- something within me cries 'no!' 

It's just 'wrong' and my spirit knows it.

  I don't want to get used to it!  And I pray you don't either.

Currently - our fashion industry is bringing feminine dress to the male population.  

These images are from a 2013 runway collection in London... 

(and yes - there is a decidedly homosexual emphasis here.)

Source for images

Are you surprised?  Satan loves to blur lines... to make things gray... 

to have us question 'hath God said?'.  Some refer to this as 'a slippery slope'.  

Trouble is - once you're headed down a slope - it's hard to stop - 

let alone turn around and go back up (think sledding down an icy hill!)  

Wouldn't it be better to not go down the hill to begin with?

I can assure you that in bible times - there was something very distinct about the 

female and male garments of that time -regardless of what teaching you may have heard.   

No Godly person would have tried to be gender confusing in their attire.  

After all - it was God who said  "A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth 

unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whosoever 

doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God."  Deut. 22:5  

When our appearance is not clearly different from our male counterparts - we are on a slippery slope. 

 (Yes, I realize there may be times or activities that call for pants to be worn - but this can 

still be done in a distinctly modest and feminine way as I've posted about earlier.)  

 As women - we are designed and created by God to be drawn to the opposite sex - 

not our own. 

The first thing another notices about us is our appearance.  What do we want to portray? 

  Homosexuality is not a new thing by any stretch of the imagination - but it is a sin.  

(God said it - not me!)

 I want to stay far removed from it.  Wearing unisex or gender neutral clothing, 

blurring the lines of distinction or crossing the lines all are dangerous territory.  

Certainly - Satan is smiling to himself as we become more

 'progressive' in our attire and churches.  I don't want him to smile at me!
(and my apologies for a longer post than usual...)

Meghan's Testimony of Converting to Skirts...

There are so many wonderful stories of the

 Lord leading persons to dress more modestly.
  Today I'm sharing another one with you...

This sweet gal has been blogging her modesty testimony and con-

version to full-time skirt wearing on her blog First Comes Love. 

  With her permission - I invite you to go have a good read!  

She states that her journey "all really came from the Lord. 

There was no one particular friend, no blog, no church leader 

who sat (her) down and said that (she) should wear skirts 

all the time and then outlined all the reasons...

 It was the Lord, and ... (she) knew He was guiding (her)."  

I love that!

Meghan also has posts that share:

* The challenges of a husband on a different page as it relates to modesty

* The benefits of skirts

* Her personal standards of modesty

You'll love her spirit and the many tips and
 homemaking topics that abound on her blog.
  Thanks Meghan for sharing some of your story with us!

Praying for you this day ~Joyce

Commandment or Conviction?

As we discuss the topics of headcovering and modesty - there are 

some things to keep in mind.  First - if something is specifically commanded 

in scripture - it is really non optional.  It doesn't matter if a person 

has a conviction for it or not - it is to be followed... i.e. - obeyed. 

However, as in the cases of both headcovering and modesty - both of 

which are commanded in scripture - there are many details surrounding 

these topics which are left up to the believer to further search the 

scriptures and seek the Spirit's leading for practical application.   

Then the Christian can come up with a conclusion and

 a conviction of how to practice that commandment.

I am challenged that while I can stand firm that these are New Testament 

commands for this modern time... some of what I share

on this blog may be conclusion and conviction. 

So - let us encourage each other and learn from each other.

 This article by David Reagan does a really good job of explaining 

the differences between commandments, conclusions and convictions.  

Incidentally - the topic of his article is women wearing pants and 

I rejoice in his conclusions and convictions.   I also discovered 

(in a separate article) that he believes headcovering is a scriptural 

command - but is struggling to know how to teach it in 'today's society'.  

So instead he is teaching that 'long hair' (not at all short) is a covering.  

While I don't agree with this... it blessed my heart to see him have 

an open heart to what the Lord is saying in the scripture to something 

he had once believed differently.  May I too have an open heart to what 

the Lord may be leading me to see in His Word that I'm not currently seeing!

Are Pants Modest? Part II...

In the last post we addressed that pants - or at least form fitting clothing - 

is not really modest at all.  But I will acknowledge that are a few times 

(and I believe they are few) in a woman's life when pants are more 

modest than wearing a skirt.  These times could include activities such as 

horse back riding, riding a motorcycle, tumbling in the snow or when 

skirts could show 'under' things, etc.  What do we do then?  

One suggestion is to wear long tunic shirts or a dress over your 

pants so that they cover your whole pelvic region...
(I personally believe they should at least well cover the thigh area - 
but we'll leave that discussion for another post.)

Source

Source

 Another option is to wear very loose fitting pants...

Source

 Or how about wearing leggings under a full knee length skirt? (my favorite!)

Of course - for the seamstresses among us - there is always the option 

of making your own modest riding skirt, full cut pants, etc.  

And for a last thought - here's another set of comparison photos for you.   
There is no doubt that skirts speak pure femininity...

Source

...women in pants?  Not so much.

Source

Are Pants Modest Part I

My Redeemer Lives ~ Joyce

Linking to Modest Monday

Are Pants Modest?

Pants on women is very controversial in the Christian community.
(But I realize most everything about this blog is controversial...)
Perhaps many  have never even thought about it. 
Are pants modest? Let's consider this question that doesn't 
have as straight forward of an answer as we would like. 

First - since a picture is worth a thousand words,
  let's take a look at some pants...

Source

Source

If I am honest - I would have to say I don't find these pants immodest.  

These are men's pants - worn on men - and have a relaxed fit throughout.  

(I am in no way advocating skinny jeans on men!)

Now - from the same company - let's look at women's pants...

Source

 These photos represent typical women's jeans.  Indeed - 

they are intentionally designed to fit this way - on women -  

by our clothing industry.  Do you see a difference as it 

relates to modesty or the figure of the body?

What is being highlighted here?

Source

Now let me ask this - Is form fitting clothing ever modest?  

Therein lies the heartbeat of the answer to 'Are pants modest?'  

If the clothing a woman is wearing is showcasing her

 legs, thighs, buttocks and more - then isn't the answer obvious?  

No, it is not modest.  

But perhaps you say - 'My pants that I wear aren't this tight.'  

While I'd love to be able to give you an exact point of reference for 

where to draw the lines - I simply can't.  It doesn't exist.  

But I would ask these questions...

1.  How do you feel in your pants - does it even hint at 'sexy' or 'sensual'?

2.  Does your hubby or father or father figure find
them bordering on 'sexy' or 'sensual'?  
(Not all men see things the same way; & Godly men may be more sensitive in this area.

But most men can at least acknowledge if it could be a problem for some in their gender.)

3.  Should Christian women even flirt with the 'line' of immodesty?

In the next post - let's look a bit more at this topic of 'pants on women'...

Are Pants Modest Part II

All for Jesus ~ Joyce

Linking to Modest Monday