I received this comment from an anonymous reader regarding our discussion on pants vs. dresses. I considered it worthy of addressing in a separate post:
“I think there are much more important things happening in the world today to worry about such trivial things !!”
Anon.,
Here’s the thing…I don’t think anyone is “worried” about this issue, and whether we are discussing pants and dresses, birth control, or breast feeding methods, this is a discussion blog. The above comment would insinuate that nothing is worthy of discussion unless it is of utmost importance. I am wondering, do you ever discuss “trivial” things?
I also want to point out that while dress preference may not rank in importance to other issues, protecting the heart of your neighbor (one way we do that is through our attire), fulfills the command of “loving others as yourself”. That’s not such a trivial thing.
As always, provoking you to thought…
8 comments
If it were trivial, why is dress mentioned in the Bible?
Oh, I get loads of comments like that when I talk about animal rights: “animals really aren’t that important, you should worry about humans first!”
And here I would like to echo Sarah: if animals aren’t important, why does the Bible address prohibition of cruelty to animals?
… Just drawing a parallel here. I believe modesty should be discussed, and certainly is important enough. Pants vs. dresses are a part of this issue. So, you go girl. 🙂
Modesty of attire is no trivial matter. Just ask the fashion industry. They certainly take dressing (or undressing would be more accurate)the female form very seriously—why shouldn’t Christians?
However, I do understand anon.’s concern. Dressing modestly should be done with proper motives—not just as a reaction against the current trends. Reacting against current fashion trends usually leads to extreme interpretations of modest dress–which becomes it’s own kind of immodesty. A holier-than-thou attitude is just as immodest as a bare midriff. Perhaps this is what anon. is referring to?
We must be mindful that the Holy Spirit leads different people in different ways and not assume that our own personal convictions ought to be those of everyone else.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with occasionally discussing trivial things. Gives you a bit of a break from the really important stuff. Though I too thought the discussion was more about modesty, which is important, then just a discussion about what we like to wear.
I’d be more concerned about trivializing important matters, than talking about trivial matters as if they were important. (shrug) It’s all in the spirit in which it’s done, I suppose. And if we’re goading one another toward examining holiness in our lives I don’t think it’s a bad thing no matter where you come down on the issue.
Bless you ladies!
Mrs. C
Well, the thing for me is, we can only do so much. I mean, the atrocities of Darfur might be extremely relevant and important right now. But I can only do so much. And I can only discuss it so much. I think it’s important to be concerned, to help in what ways we can about the needs of people here and abroad, etc. But I only have so much money, and there are so many needs. I only have so much time and energy, but there are so many things that need to be done. Doing my part does not mean endlessly discussing the war or global warming. What good would it do to only dwell on the most critical things if all of the other important but less critical things fall by the wayside? What good would it do to discuss something endlessly when I can do nothing more about it than I’ve already done?
Which brings me to my next thought. Just because something like dresses versus pants aren’t as important globally as the conflict in Israel or all the recent school shootings does not mean it is unworthy of discussion. In fact, I would argue that it IS very relevant AND very important. Because I am not intimately involved in any of those things, aside from doing what I can already. But I AM intimately involved in my home, my children, my husband, my neighborhood, my church, my city, my state, my country, and the people around me. To varying degrees. Next year I will do my part to vote. Next year. Today I will do my part to make sure my kids are eating healthy meals (and thankful that God saw fit to give me children that I could care for them properly, and pray for those children who aren’t). Today is not unimportant.
God cares about the “trivial” things, not a sparrow falls without him knowing it AND he cares about the children in Darfur. So if its ok for God to care about “trivial” things its ok for me to care about “trivial” things. ( Though I don’t think talking about modesty is trivial)
bcv
The little foxes, ladies, the little foxes. Remember, every step we take towards Godly womanhood (yes, that includes modest dress) is an example to our children and our children’s children. Like ripples on a pond, we can change the world one generation at a time, just by doing the ‘little things’. Nothing is trivial. That’s like saying we shouldn’t worry about disciplining our children because there are bigger things in the world to worry about. Yes, there are atrocities going on in the world, but I choose to God handle the big things, and He put me here to handle the small things in my corner of the world.