Saved So Young

Hello, dear girls! [This is Day #150 of emailing daily, by the way!]

Tonight I'm reading from Psalm 69-71.

"O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
¹⁸ So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come."

You and I have the immense privilege of being raised in Christian homes and having been saved early in life. If only we fully understood and appreciated the years of grief we've been spared by having such a wonderful start! It is, of course, not a default that we can just "coast along" through life on our parents' coattails of faith; no, we have to sweat and bleed and work and feel the pain of claiming the cross of Christ as our own. At the end of the day, it is each of us, alone, in the Colosseum, dared to deny our Lord. No wimpy church-camp religion here, girls. But at the same time, we have been given the gift of a Lamp to our paths so early in the journey, the right Word of truth to guide us from all lies--think of all those people out stumbling in the world, unable to discern truth from error, unsure of which way is right, weak and unfit for any battle! What a long road they have. And those who are saved later in life, after sowing seeds of sin in their earlier years, they reap the grievous harvest not only in this life, but the next: think of the spouses or children who will not be among the redeemed. Entire families who turn against the one believer and persecute their own kin with a vengeance (think of the Christians who come to the truth amidst a system like Islam!). Their lives are hard.

Be grateful for what you have been given--a faith that claimed you while you were so young, and a life that stretches out before you, even into your silver-haired years, a life of joyful submission, service, freedom, comfort and assurance beneath the banner of the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. Use this gift wisely, and do not waste your young years in comfort and indifference. Spend them stocking up on spiritual wisdom and knowledge, cultivating the fruits of the Spirit, and learning more and more about the character of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. Then go out into the fields, which are white for harvest. Be strong. Strengthen yourselves, not bodily, for the body is wasting away and growing older only to die and decay, but rather strengthen yourselves spiritually--for your soul shall not die, but live eternally in the presence of the great and wondrous King! Gloria!

The Blog Post About Women and Clothes

From tonight's email to my lovely girls:

Today my mind and heart have really been returning to a concept I want to talk about for a few moments: modesty and the godly woman's clothing. The thought didn't really spring from any one recent event or Scripture passage, but it has been weighing on my heart, and I'd like to speak both practically and spiritually with you today.

Believe me, the feminine closet is an ever-present responsibility. So many factors to consider! Such a delicate balance to be found between equally unlovely opposite sides of the spectrum. What a lot of maintenance--because for the woman who loves her Savior and strives to honor his name in every area of her life, the wardrobe is an especially challenging project to tackle. But it must be given careful thought, for just as in any other aspect, carelessness or a headstrong "I'll-do-it-my-way" attitude is not indicative of complete submission to the Holy Spirit.

First, let me say that for us, maintaining a God-honoring closet requires a lot of prayer. That sounds silly, doesn't it? What kind of nutcase prays about what to wear?

Well, I do. Here's why.

#1: God made women beautiful. Everything about the feminine character, from her physical design to the varied blends of personality, temperament, style, mannerisms, voice, mind and articulation, etc. etc. were designed by God and crafted all together in one creature called a woman, to be the helper to his first creation, man, and to glorify the name of the Lord by gracing his creation with femininity.

 #2: God is honored when women cultivate and nourish their womanliness, and purposefully blossom into creatures of grace, gentleness, beauty, intelligence, and helpfulness. I like to think of this metamorphosis as stemming from a spiritual "core," which is simply 100% devoted to loving Jesus Christ and serving him first of all. Then, as the Spirit works his sanctification in you, outward manifestations become evident of this inward change--including changes in how you speak, dress, move, act and react in response to the world around you. You blossom into a wholly feminine woman.

#3: Even Adam in a perfect world full of marvelous creatures was incomplete, and when he saw Eve, he knew he'd been given what no other creature in the world could be--a soulmate and companion, a helper, a wife (Genesis 2:18-25).

And, because women are innately desirable to men (and men to women, for that matter--but that is another conversation for another day), and because we live in a terribly fallen world that is deformed by sin that twists and mars this beautiful attraction, we sometimes forget what it was meant to be and we look to the sin-seeped culture, observing its counterfeits, and because we are weak, we succumb and do the same--sometimes even unintentionally, that's how ingrained we can become in the ways of the flesh. Little things slip in here and there, and bit by bit our wholesome feminine essence is chipped away and sold out for something that is not only cheap and fake, it is wrong and it dishonors God, and it is a very serious offense. That's why we have to talk about this, no matter what your current feelings are --awkward, eye-rolling, worried, open--whatever. You need to consider these things if you never have before, and if you've heard them a hundred times, you still need to hear them again, and then we all need to open our closet doors and get on our knees before God.

Feminine modesty is not an inconsequential matter. If the devil can get you to believe so, he'll have you--a "good Christian girl"--as a spectacular tool in his claws to make great men fall and wreak havoc in the kingdom of God. Do not go down so easy, dear ones.

I'm not going to talk to you about "respecting yourself." I'm not even going to talk to you about how precious, cherished, and valuable women are in God's eyes--this is true, but tonight I'm talking about what goes on your mind, in your heart, that makes you select the things to wear that you do. What are your motives? Don't bypass your heart's motives and be confused by the many lesser-important things that come into play--for example, I like clothes reminiscent of hippie/bohemian/earthy/old world romanticism, and I (almost) despise business attire. Not because one is better than the other, but because I simply like one more and the other less, in conjunction with my personality. Other factors that necessarily contribute to the clothing you choose will be the work and play that occupies your time, the socioeconomic class and geographical area in which you live, the season of the year, whether the event is formal or casual, etc. But none of these things has the power to be modest and God-honoring--or otherwise--without your heart's direction and motivation.

Let's not get bogged down with skirt-length regulations, T-shirt circumference rules, or earring length gauges. Here's the crux of the matter: if you love Jesus, really really love him, and you've been saved by the grace of God through his Son Jesus, if you're walking on the road that is narrow and scorned by many, looking neither to the left nor to the right, if you have tasted of the love of God, then you will love the people in the world around you (including men) with the love that God bestowed on you who were unworthy--this love is the love of a sister for her brothers, a daughter for her father, a mother for her son, a wife for her husband--a love that helps, upholds, encourages, eases burdens and assists them in their wearisome battles. I am a sister to four brothers; many of you are sisters to brothers as well, and if you haven't a brother, I bet there is either a dad or a cousin or a nephew-- all of whom you won't be marrying, but whom you still love fiercely. A sister's love is angry when foolish girls tempt her brothers, even subtly. You need to be the girl who is loving these men, praying for them, and helping to shovel rocks out of the path, not standing there throwing more in their way.

In my mind, I see the faces and know the names of girls who go to youth group, go to church, occasionally post something Bible-ish on Facebook, but persistently cause their brothers in the Lord to stumble because they refuse to love those men with a selfless love that cares more for others than for oneself. They have their reward now, dear girls--the silly attention of foolish boys (see Proverbs 7) and the jealous half-friendships of equally trite girls. But, oh, my dear little sisters--do not be deceived--they will each give account for these things. You and I will stand before God and give an account as well. I have no desire to explain for years of egocentric living, wearing whatever garners immediate attention, regardless of the long-term consequences of wrecking other people's hearts and minds, do you?

But I'm telling you, sweet ones, it won't be easy. No way. It's hard to be quiet and modest, because you will be overlooked, ignored, misunderstood, and all manner of other unpleasant things. It's hard because your biggest battles aren't from the outside, they're waged from within between our carnal nature and our new nature in Christ! It's hard because you will want the attention those other flashy girls get, you'll feel unlovely and not beautiful at times, and besides all of that, it will be inconvenient and a lot of work. These are all things the devil will gladly point out to you in hopes of getting you to give up on the mission altogether, in order to concentrate on "more important" aspects of your Christian life. He might suggest that you go on a mission trip or volunteer someplace doing something benevolent, anything to pacify your conscience and keep you wearing the clothes that are hurting God's up-and-coming men who are currently making the devil nervous. You'd be the perfect, subtle thing to trip them up and keep them from doing anything really worthwhile. Then you can all limp along in carnal Christianity, totally crippled spiritually and accomplishing nothing for the kingdom. Perfect.

I know, I know--this letter's getting long. You get the point. It's serious stuff here, girls. I'm not trying to be a killjoy--honestly! I love putting together outfits and accessories as much as any girl. It's so fun to find just the perfect thing. That's all fine and good, but please, please think about what you're wearing, who you're wearing it for, and why you picked this item over that one--examine what's going on way down there in those reeeally hidden places of your heart. Perhaps all is not as it seems, and some serious prayer and wardrobe re-vamping are in order.

It may sound simple or cliched, but seriously, if Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior whom you love and adore, saw you in everything you wear, walked with you, sat with you, and saw you in action--would he rejoice or would he be grieved? And by the way, no need to imagine if he were by your side . . . he already is.

All my love,
~Brenna

. . . Coram Deo . . .
"Living before the face of God"

Winds of Change

Since my last blog post, I have indeed been accepted at the three-and-a-half-hour away little hospital, and if all goes as planned, I will start a few weeks after graduation, as soon as I've obtained my RN license. I mustn't complain--how good and gracious of the Lord to provide me with a job so soon! And not too far away; I can still come home often enough. Some folks are looking across the country for work. I am grateful. Really.

But I am a little afraid. Humans weren't designed to live alone, least of all women, and least of those, young women. How will I be safe? Will there be a good church? Who will be my new friends and influences? How can I let go of everything I love here? It's icy there in the winter--will my car be able to handle it? What if I get mugged leaving a noc shift? This is, of course, the point where some begin to snicker at me, and as one lady made all too plain by her scissor-snipping hand motions and a tawdry joke, I am apparently far too attached and dependent on the people I love. "Time to cut the apron strings, sweetie."

Nonsense. I have deliberately rejected that senseless, thoughtless custom of our deluded culture: that kicking-them-out-of-the-nest at eighteen, out-of-their-parents'-hair-and-into-the-world-alone ideology that is hopelessly flawed when examined against Scripture. I've seen it fail--miserably so--and have no desire to become a lonely, selfish, unhelpful person, who is not accountable to anyone for anything and has no good reason to do anything other than whatever I darn well please whenever I have the fancy to do it. Such begins the spiraling descent into apathy, sin, folly, and a host of other spiritual maladies. Granted, I'm not eighteen anymore. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

I desire to be a useful woman, integrated into a community of people, relied upon, held accountable for my life and my choices, needed, remembered, cared for, not forgotten, watched out for, missed, loved . . . everything that I have here in my home, my family, my church and my small-town community. And yet, He leads me away from it all, and I trust Him, but there is mingled with it a dose of fear.

I had, of course, always planned on leaving home someday. But I hadn't envisioned it quite like this--to a place where I know not one soul, by myself. Other people do it all the time, but the pure commonality of it hardly qualifies it as the best scenario--unless it is God who ordains such a situation to be mine to live, for this time.

So, like the boy Samuel, I wake in the night, surrounded by the comforts of a familiar life, but I sense a change in the air. And, not knowing for certain what it is, I can only speak the same words as he: "Speak, LORD, for your servant hears."