I can wear something more conservative to look more spiritual, and I can wear something more liberal out of selfishness.īut that doesn’t change the fact that I have motivations for wearing what I wear, and I am responsible to God for both my motivations and actions.Ģ. It matters because it encourages others. Ultimately, only God and I know my motivations for what I wear. What will others think?”ġ. It matters because it reflects my attitude. To them, it was similar to the argument: “Do it to look good. I was shocked when I talked with friends who viewed it as hypocritical to do something you didn’t believe in. Just because I don’t actually believe in a conviction doesn’t mean I should practice it so I’m not a “stumbling block to a weaker brother” (Romans 14). I was always taught (and firmly believe) that there are times when it is appropriate to sacrifice your preferences for another.
Yet, occasionally, I find myself on the liberal end, asking, “How much should I adjust for someone else? How far should I go? Why do I wear this to visit this friend but not that one? Is it hypocritical to follow someone else’s conviction? Am I just trying to look good or fit in? I can’t spend my whole life trying to please other people.”
Why not celebrate your many similarities instead?” Why not support him in that? Changing your clothing is such a minor inconvenience in comparison to some of the bigger issues the church is facing today. So it can be easy for me to say, “Who cares if you’re asked to change your covering size, hair length or skirt length if it blesses your brother in Christ? Your brother is just simply trying to live out the Bible and show his love to Jesus by his best interpretation of what the Bible means. In most churches I’ve been a part of, I’ve been on the more conservative end. Thus, we can easily have the tendency to downplay the importance of appearance: “Submission is of the heart, so a literal covering is less important.” “It’s legalistic to have modesty standards that aren’t in the Bible.” We all have an innate reaction to being judged by our outward appearance or the superficial.
(Perhaps we assume others are judging us because we are judging them.) We often assume those more liberal than us are judging us as outdated, and those more conservative than us think we’re less spiritual. Do their wear a veil, a bonnet or a doily? Solid colors? Cape dresses? Ankle-length skirts? Pants? Two-layer tops? One suspender? Two suspenders? Or no suspenders? Did they arrive in a horse and buggy, an all-black vehicle, a 15-passenger van or a new car? Mennonites can easily categorize the type of church another Mennonite comes from simply by their appearance.
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