I wasn't super interested in the topic until this morning. While scrolling through Facebook I came across MULTIPLE blog posts that were condemning Christians for taking the time to discuss this matter. At first, I agreed. They were calling for us, as Christians, to stop caring about trivial matters like pants and start caring about things that really matter, like hungry children, human trafficking, and missionaries who are putting their life on the line to grow the Kingdom. The second article was calling for us to be Champions of God's causes. No sooner than the time that it took for me to double click my home button and close Facebook, I was feeling convicted. I knew in my heart that somewhere between these two blogs, we had gone terribly wrong.
You see, the real problem has nothing to do with leggings causing men to lust after women's bodies or human trafficking. Both of those things are just symptoms of a bigger problem: a corrupted heart. Both writers, both blogs, are actually fighting the same battle. But neither of them was addressing the real thing that we need to fix.
At the end of my life, when I stand before the throne, I do not believe that Jesus will ask me whether or not I wore yoga pants. Nor will he ask me if I traveled to the other side of the world and fought for the rights of people in other countries. HOWEVER, I do believe that He WILL ask me if I knew Jesus Christ. He WILL ask me if I gave food to the hungry and my coat to those that were cold. He WILL ask me if I cared for the sick and needy the same way that I cared for my own needs. He WILL ask me if I showed the love of Christ every single day that I was on this earth.
Now, do not misunderstand me. If you were called to travel to the far side of the earth to share the great news of the gospel, that is an amazing thing. If you were convicted about wearing a certain article of clothing and choose to stop wearing said clothing to glorify your Father, that is also an amazing thing. But neither of those things will make you a 'good' Christian. Neither of those things will get you into Heaven. God has called us to love and live a life that glorifies Him. That can look like a million different things for a million different people. However, Christianity does not look like condemning another Christian for taking a stand for something they felt convicted about.
The two best Christians I know have never traveled outside of the state they were born in to go on a mission trip. Neither of them is an ordained minister. Neither of them holds an office. I am not sure that either one of them has ever even read the Bible cover to cover, but they love people more fiercely than I have ever seen. My mother loves every person that she sees. From old women to young babies, she has never met a stranger. Everyone is her best friend. My father wakes up at the crack of dawn to mow our widowed neighbor's yard and pasture. Then, he loads up his lawnmower and drives to his widowed mother-in-law's house to mow her yard, too. They invite everyone they know into their family, and they give everything they have to take care of the people they love. That, my friends, is love with its work boots on. That is Christianity. My parents put their heart into serving other people, and they do it to glorify God. Simple as that. That is what God cares about. Jesus Christ is concerned about where your heart is at, not where your mission trip took place.
If you want to change the world, if you want to do God's work, you do not have to stop wearing yoga pants. You do not have to travel to the far corners of the world to teach someone about Jesus. You can share Jesus Christ with every person you meet. You can plant the seeds in the person who sits next to you on the bus. You can plant the seeds with the cashier at the gas station. You can do it at work, at home, or at school. You can live a life that glorifies God in any place AND in any clothes.
Christianity is not judgement. It is not a set of rules. It is not becoming a champion for some cause and slapping Jesus's face and a Bible verse on it. It is loving real people. Every. Single. Day. In a very real way. It is about being a living testimony for the people that you come into contact with all the time. It is about being obedient to what God has called you to do. It is about repentance and trying to be a better person than the person you were yesterday. It is about recognizing that anything good in you or in this life comes straight from the Father God. The Bible says that any work done to Glorify God or grow the Kingdom of Heaven will be significant in the eyes of our Lord, so do not tell me that not fostering a child, not starting a campaign to end human trafficking, or not becoming a missionary makes me less of Christian.
Stay happy, my friends.
P.S. In order to be fair, I am including the links to the posts that inspired my blog post.
- http://jessicaguinn.theworldrace.org/?filename=america-i-love-you-but-i-dont-like-you
- http://veronicapartridge.com/why-i-chose-to-no-longer-wear-leggings/
