Mind = Blown

I love things that mess with your mind. I love watching movies where you never know what's going to happen next. Movies like Shutter Island, Incception. I enjoy the twists and turns and trying to guess at where things are going to go from there. I like trying to see if I can figure it out before the movie tells the audience what is going on.

And I love when something in the Bible blows my mind.

I've been slowly making my way through Debi Pearl's Created to be His Helpmeet for the last few months. Partially because of laziness. Partially because I will find a fiction book I want to read and so I put it down and spend some time reading the other book :-P

Terrible. I know

So today I got to the part where she talks about being chaste and discreet. And I get to the point where she talks about clothing and modesty. I haven't finished it yet, but it just blew my mind what I read that I had to put it down and grab every translation of the Bible we have in our house. Yep, grabbed all 3. Such arduous work:-)

I checked all the translations against what she herself said, and I couldn't find anything wrong with her statement. Now, I would not mind for someone to honestly correct me. I'm still in a bit of shock about this.

It ties in beautifully with what said in 1 Timothy 2:9, where Paul instructs women to dress modestly and to not wear ornaments and other trinkets that draw attention to the things other than their good deeds and kind hearts. Which ties in our intentions for wearing specific things.

I think a perfect example is an athlete. A gymnast or a swimmer (Olympics being on all the time has affected my brain)wears leotards or tight bathing suits when competing because it aids in their athletic ability. It is worn with the intent of performing their sport to the best of their ability, and not to look sexy. The intent there is very important.

Same with a woman wearing a bathing suit at the beach. Take two women, Same two piece bathing suit. One wearing it because she knows she's going to be in the water and doesnt want to have to deal with bathroom breaks in a one piece. It's easier for her and quicker since she has her kids with her. Another women, also with her kids, is wearing the same two piece, but she is wearing it because she loves the way it draws attention to her behind, and her bosom. The INTENT in why they are wearing it is going to show through in their actions. In how they act around others near them, and how they behave. One is far more likely to have men lusting after her than the other, and it is going to be the one who is TRYING to get men to look at her.

I think it is important to note that Debi Pearl is writing to Christian women. Women who claim to follow the Bible. I think this quote is an excellent summary of her point:

If you find pleasure in being a source of temptation to men, you are definitely an ungodly woman and are in desperate need of repentance. Jesus said that a lusting man commits adultery WITH a woman, not against her, meaning that the woman is included in the lusting adultery.

It made me think about the many ways in which our lives should be affected if we are proclaiming to be godly men and women. If we claim to follow God and want to live out what the Bible says, then shouldn't be listen to the parts we may not like just as much as we do the parts about compassion and love?