"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."
~1 Corinthians 8:9
This is the foundation of the content of this blog. Many women I've spoken to have asserted their right to dress however they want. This typically includes, in some form or another, the explanation that there is nothing inherently sinful about wearing any particular style of clothing. I've given up debating these points because they're true. And because they miss the point.
Men throughout the Church are struggling not to follow our culture's lead into lust . When you exersize your right to be sexy, you become another source of temptation in our already over-sexed world.
(I define lust as extra-marital sexual enjoyment; and for us men, looking is plenty enjoyable. [Why else would Jesus have equated it with adultery?])
A friend at a previous job once dismissed the dress code that required women to wear more than a sports bra to work. "I think we're all mature enough not to stare at our female co-workers," he'd said. At the time I didn't have the nerve to tell him that I myself was not that mature.
I admit it. I know myself to be weak in this area. God has led me a long way from the lust I used to wallow in, but it is still a weakness. It is "the thorn in my side" that keeps me dependent on Him. It is on behalf of men like myself that I am asking your help. I ask that you keep an open mind as I explain our struggle and what you can do to help. And I will do my best to also keep an open mind to those of you willing to help me understand the feminine perspective.
Next time I'll tell the tale of my own fall. (No promises when that will be)
2 comments:
"A friend at a previous job once dismissed the dress code that required women to wear more than a sports bra to work."
By this statement do you mean only the sports bra as a makeshift t-shirt? Not only would it be hard to prevent males from sinning it would also promote sexual harassment in the workplace. So you needn't worry about them ever create such a dress code, unless of course it was at one of the shady places.
That bit about lust being equated with adultery is interesting, since we've been talking recently about the Sermon on the Mount in my Jesus and the Gospels class. i'm not sure if "equate" is exactly the word we're looking for. Jesus was speaking in hyperbole about adultery, lust, divorce, murder, hate, keeping oaths, etc. His point was that the teachers of the law were so focussed on the outlawed actions, like adultery and murder, that they were ignoring their inward causes, lust and hate. What Jesus was trying to make them see is that being righteous is about more than specific actions you may take, but the attitude in your heart.
I don't say this to disparrage anything you wrote. In fact, I agree with what you have to say. I just get a little leery when a single verse is presented out of context and touted as evidence for one argument or another. So I've provided your context.
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