My struggles

I feel like I am being attacked right now by Satan. Have you ever noticed that when you know you are following what God has asked of me to do. is when Satan comes a knocking. There has been some struggles with people asking me questions about why I am wearing a head covering and why I am only wearing skirts now. I answer them politely and then it seems like that there is always the last word they have to put in before all said and done with. I will say this right now that I know what I am doing is what God has asked of me and this is what I must follow. Then there is the looks that I get when I am out and about. I guess I need to work on my own vanity to help with this one. I also feel like my kids think I am crazy. My daughter has had her friends ask if we are turning Amish and things like that. Then there is my daughter and how she dresses. She usually dresses modest but I feel like it just is not enough, and the way God has asked of females to dress is not what she is wearing. She is 13 and at that age were anything that someone thinks of you is very important in her eyes. Which is my fault  because of my own worries that I have had about the way I look for well most of her life. I just don’t know what to do about that. I have totally changed my way of thinking only  by the grace of God  has this way of thinking changed in my heart. The things us women have to go thru as young girls then the images are  in to our young girls faces that make us and them all feel inferior about our looks. If we only just actually read our bibles and see what God asks of us we would not have these worries. I do know that ever since totally changing my way of dressing and thinking I have noticed that those images and those thoughts of feeling like I am not good enough has well mostly gone away. I am so blessed! The thing that I am struggling with right now is what to do about the way my daughter dresses. *sigh*

How I'm feeling about all this modesty.

As you may know from earlier post you know I have changed the way I dress. I am now covering my head and also wearing skirts that are modest. I have to say I was kinda nervous about all of this because I know that I will look different then everyone else around my town. My daughter was even asked if we were turning Amish. :) Well I do not quite understand that one because the head coverings that I am wearing are nothing like what the Amish wear. They are more like a big head band or a bandanna style.

I do have to say that I do love the way I feel dressing this way. I find it very interesting that my feelings on my weight have changed. It must be that I am not wearing jeans which do not flatter most womens bodies also I was always worried about if I had a bulge were there shouldn't be or if my butt looked fat or one of the other 5 million different things us women worry about. Now I do not worry about this anymore because I do not have a fear of someone looking at me. I know that I am covered modestly. Before I didn't think that I was not dressing modestly. I do notice now that people look at me, my face not look down then up to my face. It is an awesome feeling to know now that my husband is the only one who will see what my figure looks like. Don't get me wrong I don't dress in a plain way I dress more modern then that. But my legs are covered to my ankles and my shoulders are always covered. I also cover my head. So for someone to look at me they really only can look at my face because no other part of my body is showing.

Most importantly I feel closer to the Lord because I know I am dressing the way He has asked me too.

Being Modest

Okay so here I go again with another tough one. What is Modest clothing really? Where I go to church most people dress pretty modest in the eyes of the world today but is it really modest in the eyes of God? Well I also felt most of the time I was pretty modest but as a search the scriptures I started to believe that maybe i was really not that modest. I normally wear jeans and a shirt, could be a t-shirt, sweater or what ever. Okay so that shouldn't be too bad but what about the way clothes are made today. They are mostly form fitting and jeans oh boy can you actually find a pair of jeans that doesn't show all of your parts??

So here I go.........

First off I want to show you all a verse. Deuteronomy 22:5 " A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall an man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God." So lets break this one down. So what comes to mind after reading this? Earrings, necklaces, long hair and dresses on men, short hair, and pants on women. Lets look at the word "abomination". It is used to describe how God feels about cross-dressing. If you look the word up in the dictionary it means "extreme disgust and hatred ; Loathing. Wow that is a pretty strong word. While most church going people react with disgust when seeing men cross-dressing on the street but they will defend a women wearing pants. But according to Deuteronomy 22:5 it does NOT say that it is worse for a man to dress like a women it says that it is an abomination for either sexes to dress like the other.

Okay so then we think Yeah, but it is in the Old Testament and if it is not repeated in the New Testament then it does not pertain to today's Christians. Well in the New Testament it is even more specific in 1 Timothy 2:9 .......that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel.....

So "apparel" today is a very general term that means "any article of clothing" But if you look the word apparel up in 1611 in the Oxford English Dictionary that hast archaic meaning of words you will find that it means " loose flowing garment". I believe that God is giving a CLEAR distinction between the appearance of a man and a woman. It is also repeated in 1 Corinthians 11 when Paul deals with the issue of hair length. God is very concerned with our out ward appearance of a saved person. To believe differently is to profess ignorance of Gods word.

Now I know that I or anyone will not lose their salvation if they don't dress this way or if they do not do many of the things He has asked of us, because of His Grace. God loves us all. My thing is if he has asked us to do these things then why don't we do them. You and I both know that when we follow God he blesses us with many things. Not with stuff but with the things we need like people in our lives.

I was reading an article and I just loved it and wanted to share it with you on this subject. i hope you enjoy.

"Yeah, but pants are not really that immodest"

The following is from What in the World Should I Wear? by Mrs. Cathy Corle:

"A friend of mine told me that her decision to restrict her wardrobe to dresses and skirts came as a result of a ladies’ class. All the arguments and reasons that could be given were unheeded until the lady who was speaking said, ‘Let me just demonstrate something to you.’ She asked the ladies in the audience to close their eyes momentarily. She held up a large picture of a woman in an attractive, modest feminine skirt and blouse. She asked the ladies to open their eyes. Then she inquired, ‘What is the primary focal point to this picture? Where did your eyes first fall naturally?’ The audience agreed that their eyes were first drawn to the face of the woman in the picture.

"She once again asked the ladies to close their eyes. When they opened their eyes they were looking at a large poster of a woman in a sport shirt and blue jeans. She asked, ‘Now, be honest with yourselves, and tell me where your eyes first fell naturally when you looked at this picture?’ Many of the ladies in the crowd were surprised to find that most people’s eyes first focused upon the hips and crotch area that were so vividly emphasized before they ever noticed the woman’s face.

"If this happened in a crowd of ladies, how much more would it be true of men? For my friend, Joetta, this was all the ‘evidence’ that was needed."

To this I say, "AMEN!" Christian women should always be aware of Matthew 5:28,

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. "

"Yeah, but wearing pants may be wrong for some saved women, but I’m not ‘convicted’ about it."

So you’re not "convicted" about wearing pants? Does that give you permission to rebel against the Word of God? You must ask yourself, "What is the FINAL AUTHORITY on deciding what I believe and how I live? The Bible? Or how I ‘feel’ convicted?"

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Human feelings are very deceptive. We cannot rely on them. Any "leading" you may feel to do or not to do something that is contrary to the Word of God is not of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit NEVER leads contrary to the Bible, but He always leads according to the Bible.

Ephesians 6:17 - And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I John 5:7-8 - For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Many people claim not to be "convicted" about forsaking church attendance, drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling, cursing, fornication, adultery, and all manner of activities clearly forbidden in the Bible, but that does not make it all right for them to do these things. I John 4:1 warns us,

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

To try and say that wearing pants may be wrong for some saved women and not for others is to engage in moral relativism which strips all authority from God’s Word. God does not have two sets of standards. He is no respecter of persons.

Acts 10:34 - Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Wearing pants is either wrong for ALL saved women, or it is wrong for none. In deciding if something is right or wrong, our first consideration must ALWAYS be what the Word of God says, not how we may "feel convicted."

Ecclesiastes 12:13 -14 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Follow the Bible, and you’ll be doing what is right. Follow your feelings, emotions, leadings, etc., and who knows what you’ll be doing?

"Yeah, but wearing pants is not really that big of an issue, and they are much more comfortable and practical to wear"

It’s kind of funny that for nearly 6000 years, women always wore long dresses, but only since the last 40 years, a dress is suddenly "impractical" to wear. You cannot change history to validate what you want to make acceptable for today. Nowadays, women think that they cannot so much as rake a few leaves without adorning themselves in a pair of pants.

If you saw a man wearing a dress, what would you call him? Uh-huh, you would have no trouble knowing that it was wrong, and an abomination to God (even if his dress had a fly). But we have been conditioned by the world and erring brethren that a pair of pants is a good and acceptable thing for a woman to wear today. Just because it is common does not make it right. In fact, I believe that it is all part of Satan’s plan to further defile mankind by mixing the genders. Have you noticed how wimpy the boys are getting and how masculine the girls are getting? Women’s sports are becoming the rage. We would rather have our girls learn how to "Kill ‘em on the court" than to learn to be chaste and skilled at homemaking. This is how we have come to put our women in military combat positions. We would have never even considered this 20 years ago, but now we are eliminating the difference in the sexes that God made.

Oh there will always be a difference in gender, because there HAS to be. But now, the emphasis is not on the beauty of a girl’s femininity (which brings out the masculinity in a man). NOW the emphasis in the difference in BODY PARTS! There is no longer the striking difference between a beautiful woman in feminine attire, long pretty hair, and a masculine man that practices chivalry. (Put a real feminine woman around a man and see how chivalrous he becomes.) Now the difference is emphasized in her physical body difference, which is leads to lust and a degradation of womanhood! (and manhood too). A feminine woman is in her rightful place of an elevated position. But as soon as she steps down off her pedestal to wear pants and be "equal" to a man, it drags everybody down, which is exactly what Satan wants. The devil is still whispering in Eve's ear to destroy mankind.

If you look at it, you’ll find it was usually the woman that lead in the matters of sin and error. You can begin at the garden, through Israel’s idolatrous apostasy and even into recent history, with cults, Charasmania, and other errors. Now the boys are wearing earrings and have long hair, while the girls are wearing pants and chopping their hair off, even though this is forbidden in scripture (I Corinthians 11). To top it off, most preachers will not preach against short hair and pants because this would affect a majority of the women in his congregation including his wife and daughters!

Ladies, we are in the world...not to be of the world! AMEN

So pretty.......

So here is one of my cute skirts that I made. I made 5 others using the same pattern. I also made matching head coverings. This one happens to be like a wide head band but I feel like I am chickening out wearing a small one like this. I am not embarrassed about it so why should I pretend I am just wearing a cute headband. Anyway I love these skirts I made they are so comfy. I wear tights under them because it is so cold out right now. ( just noticed my date stamp is wrong by a year LOL better go fix that)

Today is Sunday so we went to church, and it was the first time I covered at church. I had some silly looks but no questions were asked. I am sure that someone will soon. I just pray that I will have His spirit with me when they do so I can defend myself without feeling bad. I am not wanting to get into an argument about it I just want say why and then just be a there to answer any questions with a smile. I love my church family so much and I am sure they will be very supportive :)

Sewing sewing and more sewing

So since God has put on my heart to wear a head covering I felt I should be more modest to with my clothing so guess what I have been doing? I have been making skirts like crazy! I have made 6 so far I have some others I made but they are just below the knee and since it is -15 out I figured it would not be to smart of me to wear those. So I decided to make some longer skirts. I love the pattern I found it is an A line that you can actually pick your legs up and walk in. The one thin I hated most of all about long skirts was that I could not walk up the stairs with out hiking up my skirt a little bit. I have made a jean one, a light khaki, brown floral prints a black with red flowers and a bright fun turquoise floral. I am Having fun matching the head coverings to go with them :)

Click here to see one of my skirts

Psalms 1

I wanted to pick though more scripture. I am going to do the Psalms book along with some others. So here are my ramblings.

Psalms 1

¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

I Love these verses. So blunt and to the point. It is awesome how God tells us pretty much everything we need to do and don't do.

I am striving to be the fruit bearing tree. To have whatever I do prosper would be amazing. I know how blessed I am right now, but to have the peace that being that solid in my faith on everything would be great. I love how the Lord is with us when we are righteous. I know when my faith has wavered how I can feel that the Lord seems to be not as close. To have that feeling always would be scary.

God bless Jen

Deuteronomy 22:5 ??? what do I think

"A woman shall do not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a womans garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God."

So what is it about this verse that make me feel convected yet again? Well I am thinking it means that I am not to wear mens clothes. Well are mens clothes slacks? So are my jeans that I am wearing right now an abomination to God? So this is my next quest is to find out what I think about this verse.

This post is written over a period of time and as I have found something in my prayers and studying I added it. These again are just my ramblings.

first off I believe that men and women are equals we are just here for different reason. The man is the man and the woman is the woman we have different roles in life so why not embrace these roles? So from there I think that God wants us to embrace these differences, and one way of doing this is by our clothing. I feel more like a woman when I am wearing a dress or a skirt.

So with that all said as I have read, studied and prayed about this verse I still am not sure with what it is exactly saying. If you read it out right it plainly says women are not to wear anything that pertains to men and the same for men. But what is it that pertains to men only? Does that mean armor like some people say or is does it mean anything that a man wears. I know that not to long ago women were not to wear pants. I am sure that it started with this scripture. I just don't know I will have to pray more for clarity on this one.

But my thought on what to wear is this. I feel like I would like to wear more dresses and not just from the confusion I have on this verse but because I feel different more like a woman. I feel like I am also letting my husband take his husband role. I love my husband and I want him to feel like a man in all the sense that that can be.

My journey begins

So today I am starting my journey on head covering. I have made some today. I am not sure what kind I will be wanting to wear. As of right now I am just making some that well look kinda like a bandanna style ( I will post pics later). Well my biggest fear is the thought of the questions I will get. I know that God will give me the knowledge of what to say. I am not very good with standing up for myself but maybe it is about time I learn right?

What I am hoping the head covering helps me with first of all is my bad thoughts that run through my head. I have these fears of many different things that I truly believe that God will help me with this.

I have been pondering this so much lately and I have gotten my answer on it that this is what I am to do. I have discussed it to my husband and he is in support of this. As I read him each verse about it he sees that it is true too. I pray that he will always support me and be able to speak up for me if someone says anything negative about it. I may be over thinking this and just assuming people will be negative. I do trust God will shine through.

I am also excited about the thought of bringing other women to God by them asking about my covering. What a wonderful opportunity it would be.

May the Lord be with you
Love jen