Trying on shoes

Have you ever walked a mile in someone else's shoes? It's a life-changing experience.

OK, I realize that each person has their own grief and experiences, and that we can never truly, fully emphasize with an experience we've never been through. But just imagine for a moment that you are in someone else's shoes.

I would encourage you to walk a mile in the shoes of a fellow believer who is struggling with sin...especially before judging them.

How are your friend's circumstances difficult? How are they stressful? How are they emotionally hard to handle? Anytime we let our circumstances drain our energy, doing the right thing becomes 10 times harder. Of course, the ultimate goal is to not let our circumstances affect our behavior at all....nevertheless, sometimes we let circumstances take us for a roller coaster ride, and remembering this can help us forgive/empathize with our friends.

No, we shouldn't find excuses for sin. Sin has no excuse whatsoever. But if you have a friend who's struggling to overcome sin, don't judge him/her for the sin. Encourage your friend to keep trying to overcome it. Admire them for their strength in struggling to rise above circumstances. And pray for them, because prayer is powerful. Walk a mile in their shoes and understand this: because they are tempted, we know they are human; because they are making an effort to overcome temptation, we know they are growing stronger in Christ.

"Bad people"

Getting deja-vu while reading this post? You may have read my April 2009 post "The Right Mindset." If you haven't, go and read it, then come back. :)

Have you ever looked at someone and thought to yourself, "That is a bad person"?

Maybe it was because of what the person was wearing. Maybe it was because the person bragged about the immoral things they were doing. Maybe it was because they just did bad things, bragging or no bragging.

So, if they're a bad person, does that make you a good person?

"Well," you say, "I'm not a good person. Everyone sins. But I'm a better person."
Or maybe you said "Well, yes, I'd say I'm a pretty good person. I'm not perfect, but at least I try."

First of all, it's not our place to judge (James 4 - but that deserves its own blog post, so I won't say anymore on that subject).

Second, you were bad enough to need a Savior. Soak that in for a minute. Jesus died the same death for you as He did for the "bad" person. He didn't die a shorter or easier death for you.

That's because it only takes one sin to make us "bad." Saying that we're "better" than someone else is like imagining God is a videogame or a scorekeeper or handing out brownie points. It's like saying you can earn favor with God...maybe you can't earn your way to heaven, but God certainly likes you a lot better than that other person because of all the good things you're doing for Him.

Don't get me wrong. God does love all the good things we do for Him. He wants us to do our best to follow Him. But we all sin. We all put Jesus on the cross. We all need forgiveness. In fact, every good deed we do is only on Jesus' strength - we can't get credit for it, because it is God who enables us to choose to do right (James 1).

For further reading: the books of the prophets (all of the books between Isaiah and Malachi including Isaiah and Malachi), 35 reasons not to sin.

Skirts Part II: Response to Blondie

~ This response was so long, I made it into a separate post. ~

Hi Blondie,
Thanks for your comment. Your questions are valid, and I understand there is a lot of ambiguity around the skirts issue.
First of all (this is important to note), the main point of this post was not to encourage girls to succumb to peer pressure. I believe that you can be the best witness when you wear something because YOU like it, not because others like it. If you like skirts more than jeans, go ahead and wear them! I have some friends who wear skirts and are fantastic witnesses. And if you like jeans better than skirts, go ahead! I also have friends who wear only jeans (also fantastic witnesses). I wrote this post for girls who are struggling with legalistic worldviews and for girls who like both jeans and skirts equally. Of course, we should always check to ensure we are wearing modest, God-honoring clothes. That brings us to your first question: Are skirts truly a distraction?
I have struggled with the same question. About jeans being distracting to men, check out therebelution.com/modestysurvey. Jeans are only a distraction if they are tight-fitting. However, as it is difficult to find loose-fitting jeans at a decent height (on the waist or at least a little above the hips) these days, it may be safer to wear skirts. I believe that our brothers in Christ are important, and that they are a more important factor in selecting clothes than the approval of our peers. Hence, if a majority of men said that jeans were most definitely a problem, I would not wear them (I don't wear a bikkini, which is hip but immodest).
I do not, however, believe we should select clothes because men simply LIKE them (as in skirts); I believe in only concerning myself with allieviating any struggles they may have. I am not looking for their approval; therefore, I look to the modesty survey for modesty guidelines but not stylistic guidelines. I still strive to honor my father; if I marry, I will strive to honor my husband. I still dress in a feminine manner, even if I don't wear a skirt (but sometimes I do wear skirts).
Does that answer your first question? If not, please let me know and I'll try to explain futher or in different words. It's a tough issue!
Regarding your second question, "Do we have to be hip to look good?" may I say that being hip certainly helps? :) You're right - of course we don't have to be hip to look good. If you try to always dress like everyone else, that just makes you a clone. There are creative, beautiful ways to dress femininely that are not "hip." However, I think we can both agree that clothing communicates messages. I listed the messages that might be portrayed by a skirt because I don't believe girls who wear skirts are always aware that they are sending these messages. Some of these messages, such as "out of touch" and "old-fashioned," are not messages we want to send. Christianity is in-touch and relevant. We are representations of Christianity; therefore, we should be in-touch and relevant. Dressing "hip" is one way to show Christianity's relevancy. Once again, that doesn't mean we watch all the "in" movies and wear all the "in" clothes; however, it does mean that we work toward coming as close as possible while retaining righteousness.
I hope that helped!
God bless,
Ruth :)

WWJD....

I found the above picture of Jesus in heaven here and on the park bench here. I have no idea as to copyright status...please inform me if you know so that I can correctly cite and credit these two. Thanks!

What would Jesus do? Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine....Jesus never lost his iPod, Jesus never went to a 21st century high school, Jesus didn't own a car, Jesus never watched TV.

But with a little thought, those issues simply become expressions of timeless concepts to which WWJD can be applied.

Today, I'm going to write about "How would Jesus treat people?"

Do you see the picture, above? I can just see Jesus, the Son of God - Holy God, who spoke with Moses and guided Daniel, who protected David and Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendago, who created the entire universe, who created each of the trillions of people who have ever lived on the earth and who loves every one of the billions of people on earth, who has angels worshipping Him 24/7 - sitting and listening to one boy in the park. Just listening for awhile; then, offering advice and comfort. Genuinely caring.

Here's a thought to chew on: Jesus died for everyone. You know the graphic, horrible description of Jesus' last hours on earth. You know He did that for you. You know He would have done that if you were the only person on earth. You know He did that because He loves you.

Well, Jesus also did that for the kid who sits alone at lunch. Think about that for a second: Jesus died for the kid that sits alone at lunch. Because He loves that kid. He would have done it if that kid was the only person on earth. If that kid matters so much to Jesus, shouldn't that kid matter to us as well?

Jesus died to save the nerd in class who doesn't get a clue. He died to save the uncool. He died to save the lonely. He died to save the goths and the emos and the punks. He died to save the special needs kids. He died to save the rich kids and the poor kids. He died to save your siblings, your parents, and all your relatives. He died to save your best friend, and He died to save your enemy.


Jesus died for EVERYONE. Keep that in mind. Not just when you're around your friends; not just when you're at school; keep it in mind all the time. Because Jesus died for the people crossing at the intersection; Jesus died for the people shopping at the grocery store; Jesus died for the landscapers clipping the grass; Jesus died for everyone.

Worldliness

What is worldiness? Let me put this another way: How can Christians avoid worldliness? Through being generous to the poor? Through not being greedy? Through remembering that God is the source of all wealth? Yes, all those things help defer worldliness; nevertheless, worldliness is not limited to those issues.

¹My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. ⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin...

~James 2:1-9a, NIV, thanks to BibleGateway.org

This passage is a great demonstration of problem seen even within the church. People are still people, whether they're penniless or wealthy, whether they shop at consignment stores or upscale clothing lines, whether they share a teensy apartment in a bad part of a city or they live in a gigantic mansion in the country - we should still treat them like people! I am still myself regardless of my material possessions; you are still yourself regardless of your material possessions. If you and I were buddies, I should like you because of who God made you to be, not because of what God has given your family (and vice-versa).

So what about you? Are you ready to treat everyone the same, no matter how much money they have?