Is purple hair a problem? Are pajama pants in public a sign of a decaying culture? Let’s not leave tight leggings and yoga pants at the gym and local grocery stores.
Our culture has traded the beauty of God’s design for the desire to be our own gods—to remake ourselves in our own image rather than live as those made in His.
We have forgotten what beauty looks like. We all try to communicate something when we walk out the door, and what fills the heart will, in time, find its way to the surface. Inner beauty and outward expression are not entirely separate things. What we believe about ourselves, our Creator, and the purpose of our lives inevitably shapes how we present ourselves to the world
Luke 6:45 says “…For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
If your heart is set against God, that rebellion will eventually express itself.
Let’s do a little exercise. Think back to the last pro-life rally you remember attending or seeing in photographs. Most likely, it began with worship, followed by a lineup of speakers, then transitioned into an organized roadside march. Children, parents, and grandparents gathered together, waving homemade, colorful signs and celebrating the sanctity of human life. Something about the scene is unmistakable: families standing together, smiles on their faces, and a public expression of hope, joy, and gratitude for the gift of life.
Now consider the contrast. What do pro-choice rallies, No Kings protests, and Black Lives Matter demonstrations look like?
First, they tend to resemble mobs more than orderly public assemblies. Second, most feature imagery, language, and crude displays of sexual immorality. Next, look at the black clothing, unnaturally colored hair, black-painted nails, and the signs held high for everyone to see. Consider the slogans and the messages they communicate. F*** this and F*** that and F*** this other thing. What vision of humanity is being presented?
Now, this is no surprise when a person worships the murdering of babies; they look like executioners. All of this is merely the outpouring of what is inside. Why?
Because
“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
I know this is a strong example, but the point extends far beyond political rallies. As Christians, we must pay attention to what we wear, how we present ourselves, and how others perceive us. Our appearance is part of our public witness. When you walk out your front door, what does your appearance communicate? What stories do your home and business tell? Are you promoting God's truth or promoting your own vanity?
It is time for Christians to assess the narrative of our daily life because communication through our dress and actions is inescapable.
Now, what we communicate is actually only one of the problems, the central tree in which the fruit is grown on is what we must actually address and will be the most detrimental to your soul. Why do some women think wearing yoga pants to church is appropriate? Let’s flip the question around: why do other women assume that dressing as though they’ve stepped out of a Jane Austen novel automatically makes them more feminine, modest, or godly? One woman may dress without giving any thought to the occasion, while another may carefully curate a romantic, old-fashioned appearance. Yet neither casualness nor historical elegance, in itself, tells us whether we are honoring God.
Instead of trying to reinvent themselves according to the world's ever-changing ideals, they should seek to understand and embrace the beauty God intended when He created them. There is a deep joy to be found in receiving God's design with gratitude rather than treating it as something to correct, conceal, or reinvent.
As Christians, we should strive to be Christian hedonists, finding our deepest pleasure and satisfaction in God Himself. As John Piper famously puts it, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” Our goal is not merely to avoid immodesty or conform to a particular style of dress. It is to find such joy in God that even our appearance becomes an expression of our gratitude, worship, and delight in Him.
Perhaps it is time to examine the heroes of the faith in Scripture and ask how they lived, presented themselves, and understood their God-given calling. Perhaps it is time to read Paul’s writings on modesty, femininity, and the distinction between men and women—and accept what he says without rushing to explain it away whenever it challenges our modern sensibilities.
And perhaps, just perhaps, we will discover that feminism is not nearly as dead in the Church as we would like to think. And that should come as no surprise. We are still wrestling with the same sin that tempted humanity in the Garden of Eden: God has given me a role, but I want my husband’s. I want to be like God on my own terms. The serpent’s promise was that we could become like God by rejecting His authority and defining good and evil for ourselves. That same rebellion still tempts us today, even within the Church.
So to conclude this article I want to remind everyone of this, examine yourselves. Sin seems to sneak up on us wherever we are. If we want God to come and heal this land, repentance must start in the House of the Lord. Christians must stop living in the way of the world and start being satisfied in how God made us.
~The Watchman
