The Butterfly!

One more thought for today... I'm sure many of you love butterflies! I know I love to see them fluttering through the flowers in my yard, they are so beautiful and colorful! Did you know that their colors are not caused by pigment?? (pigment is what colors your eyes, skin and hair) The scales on a butterfly's wings don't contain this pigment, but the colors we see are a reflection of the sun light. In other words, if it were dark, we wouldn't see their color at all! Hummingbirds are the same way!

How does this apply to us? Our clothing should be a reflection of the SON Light - God's Son, Jesus! Without His light reflected in us and in our actions, we are just as dark as the rest of the world! But when we reflect Him, people see the beauty that He has created in us!

Someone is Watching!!

One of the factors that I've talked about in our modesty discussions is why do we wear certain things? to get attention? whose attention? While our main objective in clothing should not be to draw attention to ourselves, the fact remains that people notice what we wear! Maybe you've had someone stop you because of something they noticed about you? For my sister, it's her hair; for me (my hair is usually put up) it is usually my skirts and non-made-up face. Many people notice and appreciate a modest look, whether they always comment to you or not. I had on gentleman that came into where I work stop me and say "You are a beautiful lady." He was not being rude, his meaning was that he noticed that I dressed and acted like a lady and it showed. You might be surprised, as I was, at the people that notice your modest apparel and actions.

Not only are there people that notice what we look like, but what about the people that may be copying how we look? Each of us most likely has someone who looks up to us and wants to emulate (copy) our appearance or fashion sense, whether she is a sister, niece, cousin, or friend. I don't want to be one who sets a bad example for someone else, do you? You probably have those that you look up to for their fashion sense, I know I do. Maybe you have been disappointed by that person, but I hope not! And I hope and pray that we aren't a disappointment to someone else!

Very Profound

Ok, we all know that God give certain abilities to certain people, right? A lot of times we call these abilities gifts, like "she has the gift of playing the piano." or "he is gifted in public speaking." But does God always give us these gifts fully developed? Some people are born with a genius mind. We especially think of music like the six year old that can play Beethoven's Ninth for example. (I don't know if there is one, but probably somewhere, right?) :) I wasn't born with genius-type talents. Most people aren't... but God has given each one of us certain gifts.
Sometimes the best way to discover God's will for you life, is to look at the things that you do best. (Let's say you have a gift for singing... I don't think God would want you to spend your life in underwater basketweaving!) But you may not yet be the best you can be at the things you do best! Follow me? Let me put it this way, God gives us talents, but it is up to us to use those talents, learn how to use them more effectively (like going to school/college), and put those talents into practice. Your talents are God's investment in you, like money in the bank. It is up to you to invest those talents wisely, so when you have to give an account to God, you will be able to show what you have done for Him with what He gave you. (To read Jesus's parable of the talents see Matthew 25:14-30.)

Which Way?

As a young person, I know you have many decisions that you are facing - decisions with lifelong effects. To go to college or not, which college, what to major in, what kind of job to look for, what friends to hang out with, and what to do with the rest of your life! All these decisions can be overwhelming! The most important question to ask along with all these is "What is God's will for my life?" Sometimes finding God's will seems a little allusive. So how do you know?

I'm not going to tell you what God's will is for you life... other than to say that God's will for you is to honor and serve Him in all you do! (How is that for being general?? :) But it is the answer!!) As long as you desire to please God in all areas of your life and allow Him to take control, He will guide you in the right way. Does He tell us everything for our future now? You know the answer, of course not... if we knew everything we were to face in life, it would probably scare us to death! No, the answer to finding God's will is to keep looking for it, every day seeking how God would have you spend your time.

God will lead you in each of your choices. Some of the choices you are making may not seem to be that big to you right now, but when you look back a few years later, you will see God's leadership in using these choices for the big picture.

Isaiah 30:21 says "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." God is saying through this verse, that He is going to lead us in each step we take. God won't give you His entire plan for you life, but He will lead you in the right direction each day.

This has been a little different line of thought from what I've been commenting on in regard to modesty, but it is something I read about in one of my devos this morning and one of my friends has been making some life choices... I guess both combined has got me thinking. Anyone have any comments on how God has been leading you recently? I would love to hear about it!

Attention Please!!!!!

So why do we choose the clothing that we choose? Many times, clothing is chosen to attract attention, right? Maybe you can think of a few examples. Perhaps someone chooses clothing to get the attention of others their age, to attract friends or boyfriends. Maybe they choose certain items to get the attention of those in authority - parents or teachers. (Think of those outlandish characters you have seen roaming the mall... do you think they are trying to get attention?) Maybe some don't even know what kind of attention they want, they know they just want someone to notice them, and what they are really craving is unconditional love. (That could be an entirely different topic!)

The question is, why are you choosing the clothes that you do? Is it to get attention? If so, whose? Are you trying to attract compliments from others? If so, think about your reasons. Is it wrong to dress in a way that is attractive? No, of course not. But attracting attention should not be our primary motive when choosing/buying clothing. Who should we ultimately be trying to please with our wardrobe???? God!!! right?

Proverbs 31:30: "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." One way of applying Scripture is to rephrase a verse in our own words. Here is my thoughts of what this verse means: What others say they think of us can be deceitful, and beauty really doesn't amount to anything lasting, but the woman that puts God first and reverences Him is promised praise.

I love reading good books! Here is a section from Little Women by Louisa Alcott, a dialogue between the oldest, Meg, and Marmee, that applies to this post today:

"I'll not be sentimental or dissatisfied, mother; I know I'm a silly little girl, and I'll stay with you till I'm fit to take care of myself. But it is nice to be praised and admired, and I can't help saying I like it," said Meg, looking half ashamed of the confession.
"That is perfectly natural, and quite harmless, if the liking does not become a passion, and lead one to do foolish or unmaidenly things. Learn to know and value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty, Meg."