A Linen Dress in Springtime

brown linen dress from Shabby Apple, cream J. Jill cardigan, leather sandals from The Walking Co., Dooney & Bourke handbag

I'm so excited to show you some of my spring outfits, my friends! We had a brief break in the rain this week, and I'll take any excuse to wear a comfortable dress. On my nails recently has been the Chanel dupe, Essence's What Do You Think? orange polish.

My New Oxford Flats

We have camera! Well, sort of. These are taken with my husband's iPhone, we're still working on getting a real working camera after I dropped and broke it. We should be back to our regular outfit posts by the end of this week.

I won these Matisse Gregor oxfords from the excellent blog A Girl's Guide to Shoes. They are a little bit pointy, made of a woven fabric, and are cream or natural-colored. They make my tiny feet look a bit longer, which is a good thing. Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Easter Post: What Did Jesus Wear?

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.” (Psalm 22:18)

So this is what the soldiers did.
– John 19:23-24

This scripture has recently peaked my interest, because it offers clues to what Jesus wore at the end of his life on earth. We learn that:

- there were four soldiers that crucified Jesus, and they wanted to divide his clothes into four parts.

- the undergarment (or knee-length tunic) was too valuable to be torn, since it was made from a single piece of cloth, without a seam.

My guess is that the seamless tunic (also called the Chaluq, Kittuna, or colobium) was so valuable, they cast lots for it, even though it would have undoubtably been bloody. The other three pieces may have been his outer cloak/prayer shawl (Tallith or Goltha), a turban or other headgear, and his sandals.

I also speculate that maybe they cast lots because there were four of them and only three articles of clothing. (Perhaps Jesus was not wearing headgear or his prayer shawl at the time.) However, it does mention in John 13:4 that the previous night, Jesus was wearing an outer garment of some kind, whether a cloak or a prayer shawl. He removes it to wash his disciples’ feet.

The prayer shawl was a square garment that bore tassels at the corners in fulfillment of the commands in Numbers 15:38-39 and Deuteronomy 22:12 as a reminder to obey the laws of the Lord. The strands that made up the tassel probably included at least one of hyacinth (light violet to moderate purple) color and several strands of white.

There is another scripture that points to what Jesus wore to the cross. It mentions in Matthew 27:31 that the soldiers removed the royal robe they had put on him to mock him as King of the Jews, and put his own clothes on him. After all, in order for him to be flogged, they would have taken his own clothing off.

Beyond these basic speculations of what kind of clothing Jesus wore, I have further questions. Did he dress like a working class man? Or did he dress as a rabbi consistent with the times? He was widely regarded as a teacher and rabbi, and taught in the Temple and in synagogues. Did his ministry role require him to dress a certain way?

My friends, I hope you have a wonderful Easter and take time to reflect on the sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus!

I’m Too Sexy for My…

“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”
Romans 14:13

My camera is still not working, please excuse the lack of posts lately! Here is part two of my study on the topic of modesty. Let’s talk about the most “controversial” aspect of modesty: as the opposite of sexy.

Why do women want to be sexy? There is a healthy, God-designed desire for women to be beautiful and attractive. God also designed us to be sexual beings (just read all of Song of Songs in the Bible). Feeling sexy and attractive are not sins. So what’s the problem, why are we called to dress modestly?

The clue is in the above scripture. We simply have a responsibility to people around us, to show them respect. We have a responsibility to God, to show balance and self-control in every area of our lives, while being aware of how our actions affect others.

To try to dress in an enticing way is to try to allure others to think about you sexually, or lust after you, which in God’s view is a sin. Even someone who isn’t intending to make others think sexually about them, yet wants to dress sexy “for themselves,” is not being loving to those around them by presenting a temptation. “It’s not my problem!” sounds a lot like Cain’s excuse, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

So while I do my best to look attractive, and love pretty clothes and bright colors, I reserve looking sexy for being only around my husband. It doesn't prevent me from dressing "cute" as I like to do, or following fashion trends, or even taking fashion risks!

People who are living for God have the heart of wanting to please him, and allow him to dictate every aspect of their lives. There are no “off-limit” areas to God in my life. I do not live to myself alone. As I look at how I dress through eyes of love for those around me, I find dressing modestly a joy.

Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By

Hello my friends, I dropped our camera and it won't work anymore. Please visit back in a few days as we get it fixed!

A New Haircut

It's cut, but it won't stay curly! My hairdresser put a curling iron to it so I could see if I can pull off the messy-wavy look. It's okay, but not me. (And I don't own a curling iron!) This will be the last time you see these clothes until Fall; I plan on switching over to my spring/summer items this weekend!