According
to many people today, men are to blame for everything! When women wear skimpy
bikinis with their entire bottoms showing and most of their breasts causing men
to lust after them, it is entirely the man’s fault according to many women and teaching
young women to be modest and discreet (not drawing attention to themselves) is
shaming women. They tell me that men need to be taught to respect women,
regardless of how women dress or act.
These
people are in La La land and have made up their own rules which are
foolishness. In the Bible, God usually puts nakedness and shame together. Once
sin entered into the world, Adam and Eve felt shame and tried to cover
themselves up with leaves but God covered them up with a coat. He knew men
would lust after the nakedness of any woman they saw and that women would try
to dress provocatively in order to cause men to lust after them. All of this is
in His Word and this is why He commands women to be modest and discreet and
Jesus speaks about the sin of men lusting (Matthew 5:28).
Are
men the only ones at fault when they lust after a woman dressed immodestly? No,
they are both at fault. She is held responsible, however, for causing another
to stumble. Women are not innocent. Women sin just as much as men but some of
their sins are different. Women generally want to control their husbands
through moods, withholding sex, nagging, quarreling, etc. They are far from
perfect, regardless of what our culture is teaching today through sitcoms and movies.
Women are not the superior of the sexes. In fact, the Bible teaches that a wise
woman builds her home up and a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
Women can win their disobedient husband without a word by being in subjection
to their husbands and having godly behavior. God has given both sexes power in
different ways and we ought to always use the power the Lord has given us to
build up and glorify God and not abuse it in any way.
Teach
your daughters a sense shame in showing their nakedness to every other man
except for their future husband. We should feel shame about being immodest and
this culture has lost all shame about their nakedness. Teach them modesty from
the time they are young girls; never allowing them to run around naked or scantily
clad.
Women,
obey the Lord in the things He has commanded you to obey Him in and leave the
areas He has commanded men to obey to men. We have no ability to change our
husbands or other men but we do need to be responsible with what the Lord has
given us. Dress modestly and discreetly. Be known for good works rather than
for what you look like or own. Build up your homes up through gentleness,
kindness, and love. Always respect and submit to your husband and appreciate everything
good that he does for you. Be women of honor and dignity, thus giving God all
the glory. Stop listening to the foolishness of this world and begin living
knowing you will one day stand before the Lord and give an account to Him for
how you alone lived your life on this earth.
As Judy wrote on my Facebook page: "We should ask the question, if I was suddenly ushered into the Lord's Holy presence in heaven and the company of angels, would I feel the least bit of shame? Also, for whose glory am I dressing, mine or God's?"
As Judy wrote on my Facebook page: "We should ask the question, if I was suddenly ushered into the Lord's Holy presence in heaven and the company of angels, would I feel the least bit of shame? Also, for whose glory am I dressing, mine or God's?"
Thy
nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen.
Isaiah
47:3
Behold,
I am against thee, said the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon
they face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy
shame.
Nahum
3:5
I
counsel thee to buy…white raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame
of thy nakedness does not appear.
Revelation
3:18
Gail · 446 weeks ago
Blessings and shalom,
Gail
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
Guest · 446 weeks ago
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
pamelambc 33p · 446 weeks ago
That said, I don't think all women who wear bikinis or show more skin than necessary are always out for attention from men. I admit to wearing a bikini (not, a thong) back in my teens and for a few years after marriage. I wasn't out for male attention. I was married. It was strictly to get a suntan.
So yeah, we should teach girls to be modest. Some of them choose clothes just because they like them without giving a thought to how much they're showing.
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
pamelambc 33p · 446 weeks ago
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
Jeff · 446 weeks ago
It is also the men's fault for women having to get plastic surgery and starving themselves. Lol. I am constantly told from my wife that I am the cause of her having to stay thin, keep her hair and nails nice etc. like if I wasn't around she would let herself look like an ogre.
KiwiGuest · 446 weeks ago
Of course Christian women should have different hearts, as Lori teaches, but even for Christian women, the pressure is still there.
Also, infidelity is such a huge thing. With the pressure on women (and maybe men, too) to always look good, and the easy availability of porn, plastic surgery, photo-editing (in magazines) etc. it is so easy for women to think that unless they look good, their husband is going to leave them for another woman. A younger, better-looking woman. It doesn't matter if you would never, in a million years, cheat on your wife - that attitude is so ingrained into society that it is hard for women to escape from.
I work hard to keep myself slim after having had 4 children, and I take effort to dress well, in modest, feminine clothing that my husband likes, to make myself attractive to my husband. I *want* to be attractive to him. I don't want to give him any reason to go looking elsewhere (not that I think he would ... but as I said, that attitude is pretty ingrained in society).
Actually, most of the pressure to be thin and looks good comes from other women, not men. And it comes from within ourselves. It is not men's fault at all. But society doesn't see it that way.
Mrs.O · 446 weeks ago
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
Guest · 446 weeks ago
KiwiGuest · 446 weeks ago
The church I attend is a small(ish) Christian fellowship, found over most of the world. There are quite a few churches out there who still teach this. If you pray about it, I'm sure God will lead you to the right one.
Holly · 446 weeks ago
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
Cyndi · 446 weeks ago
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
Christine · 446 weeks ago
Today, the media gives young women so many wrong ideas of how they should look, behave, and feel. In the meantime, nakedness is glorified as "empowerment". I've also noticed that profanity has become second nature to many.
Further, the proliferation of plastic surgery in many cases seems to be that these modern, allegedly empowered, attention seeking women are trying in vain to fill something missing inside of themselves that they will never find without Christ.
Feminism has taken away from us a beautiful God-given gift... The softness, allure, and mystery of femininity itself.
Blessings
Christine
Lori Alexander 122p · 446 weeks ago
guest · 446 weeks ago
Every woman I know who has had breast augmentation surgery has done it at the urging/ demand of a husband/ finacee/ boyfriend. The only exception I know of is a woman who had reconstruction surgery after a double mastectomy.
Many men, even Christian men, want their wives to stay thin and youthful -- practically forever. I know of several middle-aged Christian men who had affairs with young women, divorced their middle-aged wives and then married a much younger woman.
There was no condemnation from their churches for doing this.
As you have often said Lori -- men are visual creatures, and what they want to see in their homes and lives is a *young*, attractive, pretty, thin, stylish woman. If the original wife doesn't remain so, they frequently look elsewhere.
Ken · 446 weeks ago
I can't disagree with you more. I have been a part of the Christian world and church for all of my life and very very few instances have I seen Christian men walk away from a spouse because she gets overweight, or loses her looks. Men are very visual, but a warm, joyful wife who is loving towards you is far more important to us than weight or wrinkles.
I disagree too that it is men who want wives to get implants. Many times it is a mutual decision, but I doubt the Christian husbands want the breast augmentation more than the wives do in general. In most cases it is an unhealthy thing.
Of the thousand Christian couples I know or know about, I would say 99% of the husbands are sticking by their aging or overweight wives. The few I know of who divorced had very difficult or emotionally sick wives, or are Christian in name only as they rarely show any desire for church or the things of God.
When referring to Christians it is best to use the smaller subset of true believers and not the larger group who claim to be saved but are unwilling to follow the Lordship of Christ in their lives. I know of not one true Christian husband who has shown any disinterest in his aging wife and the vast majority like me fall more in love with our wives as we grow older and more connected together. Sure the fleshly appeal to youth and a beautiful body will always remain with a man, but the man who has placed his body under the control of the Spirit of God remains faithfully in love with the wife of his youth, weight. warts and all.
Lastly, for a husband to desire a trim fit wife is not wrong, and his wife should try to remain in shape, especially if he is staying in shape. This is part of disciplining one's body, and is a healthy thing for both spouses to do. To not discipline one's body is sin. That is not to say that we don't all put on 3-5 extra pounds as we age, but 20 lbs is not keeping the body under control.
Happy Wifey · 446 weeks ago
Jilly oxo
ContentWife · 446 weeks ago