When Did Wierd Become Wrong?

George Henry Boughton      "Pilgrims Going to Church"

Lately, I have often been confronted with ...hmmm... disgust(?) with an underlying animosity from people concerning "weird" Christian.  I would find this completely understandable if it were coming from non-Christians.  However, it's coming from fellow Christians.  It has shocked and amazed me ...until I remembered that there I was a few years ago.

About 5 or 6 years ago, I think it was, God led me to start wearing "skirts only".  I simply felt that He wanted me to only wear dresses and skirts.  I had trouble even figuring out why He was asking such a thing (because what did it matter what I wore?!), but guessed that it maybe was related to my need for approval.  I knew that I often dressed according to the people I would be seeing.  If home, relaxed, grubby;  but if someone might stop by, add some nice touches.  If church, nice --but don't forget and wear the same thing you wore last week or the week before.   Nice style, bit of sexy thrown in.  Attract attention without seeming to.

I struggled with obeying for the first year or two.  I always felt wierd.  In the summer it wasn't so bad, except when it was completely "inappropriate" to the situation --as in being the only one at a ball game stupid enough to come in a dress.  In winter, it became so obvious.  Who wears a skirt in winter in MN??  I was treated far differently.  Where I formerly knew how to dress in order to be treated respectfully and/or to be admired, now I was treated with disregard or sympathy.  Mostly I felt marginalized.  I was just a stupid woman, giving up my identity and beauty, becoming "Amish".

Very gradually, tho, I gave up my need to be approved of for how I dressed.  It became enough to have my husband's love and approval.  I began to see the goodness, the beauty in dressing modestly and femininely.  More importantly, I became willing to be and do whatever God desires. 

What I still don't get is why it matters to anyone if the females in our family wear only skirts?  Why does it matter to anyone else in the world if we choose to homeschool, to believe and teach young-earth creationism to our children, to closely guard what we read or watch, etc?  Why does it matter --to them?  I know it matters to God.  He makes plain that He cares about these details.  But why does it matter to anyone else?  We are accused of abusing our children because we lovingly raise them according to our convictions?!?  We are accused of hurting the witness of the church because we don't conform to culture; when did that become Biblical?!?


Here's what I see:
"The foolishness of man subverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord."  Proverbs 19:3


There's nothing new under the sun.  In Eden, the serpent said, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (Gen. 3:1)  In other words, "You really think God has said not to wear certain clothes, not to go certain places, not to befriend certain people, not to do certain things???"


Genesis 3:4-5  "You shall not surely die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good & evil."  Modern language: "You're so fearful of everything.  All those things your so afraid of being contaminated by are really not that bad.  Look at all those other people doing it and they're fine.  You need to be free;  free to call your own shots and not be trapped by fear of doing wrong.  Be more open-minded.  You know what's best for you.  It's time you stepped out into the light and strength of living your own life."  


So the argument comes right from the original tempter, the original temptation.  However, it confuses me that we Christians can't even see the obvious examples from history.  Our country was founded by wierd people who wouldn't conform to culture --dressed different, worshiped different, thought different.  Peter and Paul were so abnormal and despised for it, they were put to death.  It was the very wierdness of the early church that caused them to be brought before kings and rulers to explain what was different.  For that matter, the entire Bible is about people who, contrary to the culture around them, followed God, looking odd the entire time.  How can you say you believe the Bible when so much of it would be offensive to you if it were playing out right now??


"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."  Romans 12:2