Hopefully, this weekend finds you celebrating with friends and family. For me and my little family, it's going to be very laid-back. Homemade ranch dip with Greek yogurt, sliced garden-fresh veggies, turkey brats, and some yummy grilled shrimp are on the menu for us tonight while we watch UFC 164. Tomorrow, I'll be poolside...inflatable 24-inch poolside, that is, with my little girl!
Maybe you're going to be poolside, too, or even better, relaxing at the lake or the beach. This holiday weekend closes out the summer season for many of us, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to talk about something that has been on my heart for a while now: the bikini.
At the beginning of the summer, my FB newsfeed was bombarded with Christian blogs and articles about swimwear. I think the one that stuck with me the most was one that referenced a verse in Matthew: "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (5:28 NLT). This particular blog went on to emphasis the use of the word "with" and say that while the man looking a woman in bikini is responsible for his sin - lust -, that by wearing a bikini, a woman has committed a sin as well - that she had sinned with the man. The author said she found bikinis cute, but that she didn't wear one because she didn't want to be a stumbling block for others.
While I respect her opinion and convictions, I have to be honest. I wear a bikini every time I get in the water. I have a long torso, and one piece suits just creep up in all the wrong places on me. Tankinis are never long enough, and monokinis just aren't my thing. It's a matter of comfort, but also of fashionable preference. I feel better about my presentation in a bikini - not more attractive, just simply like I have a more put-together, flattering appearance. And in the interest of truth, ladies, let's be real: if we don't feel good about the way we look, we don't feel good about ourselves. So today, I'm taking a minute to take an approach some Christian women are going to shake their heads at: I'm encouraging my female audience to ROCK THAT BIKINI this weekend.
Over the course of the summer, I've thought about the afore-mentioned blog several times. Each time, I got increasingly irritated. Not once did I feel convicted to wear a one piece or, even better, a full length scuba suit, to the pool. I just felt condemned for my personal choices. I also began to think about that use of Matthew 5:28...if a woman wears a slim fitting, sleeveless dress that covers her from neck to knee at church, a man can still look at her with lust in his heart. Does that make her sinful? I can wear jeans and a tee shirt and a man can look at me with lust in his heart. Does THAT make me sinful? Where do we draw the line? Why does a bared tummy make a woman sinful but a fully clothed woman is free from that sin when either is capable of creating lustful thoughts in the mind of man? I was perplexed by this...and angry. I shouldn't feel ashamed of my body simply because I might cause a man to sin. By insinuating that one is sinning simply by being the source of a man's lust - something a woman may or may not have intended and may or may not have control over - the author creates undue shame and self-reproach in Christian women everywhere.
I think the core of this matter is intention. When a woman wears a bikini to the community pool with the intention of catching the eye of men and creating lustful thoughts, that is completely different than a mom wearing a bikini to the community pool with the intention of playing Marco Polo with her kids. In 1 Timothy, Paul writes that women should dress modestly, with decency and propriety. I've had this verse thrown at me more times than I care to count...and as a result, I've spent some time researching this within the context of the social circumstances and customs at the time Paul wrote the letter. I believe, ultimately, that what Paul was saying was that women should dress in a way that prevents division and shows respect for the feelings of others. Don't dress in a way that shows you're wealthy, don't imitate prostitutes (which some of the women in Rome were doing), and don't dress in a way that shows you're of better social stature than others. Essentially, dress in a way that prevents believers from judging one another when they come together. Dress nicely. Take care in your appearance....just don't offend others with your attire. Take that for what you will in today's society. Pray about it - talk to God, and act upon your own personal convictions, not the condemnation or feelings of others.
Don't wear a skimpy string bikini to the youth ministry's end-of-summer pool party. Don't wear a g-string to the family barbecue this weekend. Don't wear a bikini to the lake if your intention is to create lust in the heart of men. But girls...don't be ashamed of your bodies because you fear it will create lust and don't feel condemned because you don't feel convicted to wear one piece. If you can do it with a pure heart, if you're dressed appropriately and have good intentions...wear what you're comfortable in, whether that's a tankini, a high waisted bikini, a one piece, a monokini, scuba suit, a gunny sack, shorts and a tee shirt, or even a good ol' bikini.
Tomorrow, I'm going to catch some sun and splash some water with my little girl, and I plan on rocking a bright pink and orange lace bikini while I'm doing it. If it's what you decide you want to wear...rock that bikini!
Until next time...
TRAIN HARD - LIFT HEAVY - FUEL YOUR BODY - FEED YOUR FAITH
F
No comments:
Post a Comment