2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
There is always someone who thinks you are strange because you do not follow the crowd, adopt the fashions, the latest hairstyles, or seek after a career. You can be minding your own business or be sober-minded and there will be someone accusing you of being mentally unstable.
I would not dream of calling someone "crazy" and I am astonished when someone tells someone they are mentally ill. If you are ever the recipient of such rudeness, it might shake you a little and you start to have some doubts about yourself. The purpose of such a remark is to discourage you and shake your confidence in who you are, in your choices, in the way you live and in your beliefs.
Before you become too devastated by such labeling or name-calling, focus on the things that someone else is calling "insane": sewing your own clothes, dressing femininely rather than masculinely (I am speaking of ladies), cooking your food from natural ingredients, teaching and training your children, caring for your home and family, being sensible with money, content to be home, not participating in the vices of the culture, etc. Is this what they are calling crazy? People who cannot think rationally are unable to do these things. To call someone "mentally unstable" is just an attempt to de-stabilize them.
The reason I like this verse is because of the phrase "a sound mind." It is reassuring to read the words, "a sound mind." If you have e-sword on your device, how about doing a New Testament word search for "sound" and "mind" and see what the Word says about them. We must judge our mental health by what God says, not by some wild accusation.
What do you think about this verse?
8 comments:
Oh how glad I am that you shared this today!!!! Just last Sunday at church, I had someone make an uncalled for remark to me about my clothing. I dress modestly. Period. I'm not going to dress like the world. I laughed it off at the time, but it does hurt. Now I dread seeing that person today (a man of all things!).
I must pray for this man AND that my attitude toward him is kind and gentle today.
Mrs.U.,
The comments about clothing has been going on for awhile and I was not aware of it until a man said sarcastically to a woman wearing a floral skirt: "Why don't you wear FLOWERS?" It was intended to exaggerate the fact she had on a print with roses all over it and it was calculated to embarrass her and draw attention to her clothes in a negative way. I even heard a so-called fashion commentator or a tv show in the 1990's who was analyzing candidates for dress makeovers, say to one lady, "Can we get rid of the flowers?" He then proceeded to recommend a trendy outfit that had no feminine grace to it at all and no suggestion of softness or prettiness. There is a general mockery of ladies clothing if it does not show a lot of flesh. As we get older it is more than the standard of modesty but also that we want to look our best and not show "everything". Of course a woman in racing pants and a quilted nylon vest with a long sleeved tee shirt would never be mocked or said to be mentally insane, even though it is modest . But try wearing a simple black skirt with a nice blouse or little jacket which covers just as much as the former mentioned outfit, and it is a target of scorn. It is not so much a war on modesty but an attack on femininity, decorum, propriety, softness and sweetness. That isn't vogue, not gauche. Everything has to be super casual and lacking in purpose when it comes to dress. You have to look like you do t care and are not putting on airs. But these days all you have to do is wear the simplistic old skirt with a pair of boots and a nice jacket and you can become a target of suspicion and ridicule. The only solution is to keep doing it and doing it better and others will follow,
This is one of my favorite verses although it is for different reasons. It is so sad to hear these things about people's comments on dress. I say keep standing your ground and wearing what you feel to. We are called to be lights in this world, and sometimes that means sticking out. There is someone who needs your courage and conviction to help them with their own. God bless, christina
I think the verse means that since fear is taken away from us we now become strong and powerful. Fear makes us crazy. When I am afraid I refer to this verse and remember I am stronger than fear.
I take it as a compliment when someone stares at my modest clothes. In the grocery store the other day someone stepped on the back of my skirt with a dirty boot when I was kneeling down to get something off the bottom shelf. They just acted like nothing happened and kept on going. In the next aisle everyone was staring at a young woman who's entire backside was bared to the public as she was leaning over. I prefer to have my skirt stepped on.
Everything is geared toward making women dress in black and look and act like men. I got a gift certificate for a department store for Christmas and couldn't find one single feminine clothing item in the whole store. Almost everything was black! I am not in mourning! I like pretty feminine colors and fabric with flowers. I bought hair clips the other day with pink flowers on them to wear in the Spring. They were packaged for little girls but I am a 57 year old woman and I want to wear flowers in my hair!
I am convicted to wear modest feminine clothes because being a woman in a beautiful thing that God gave me and I love being feminine. I consider it an act of rebellion in today's society because I am angry at how women are portrayed in the media and daily life, especially older women. I started a Pinterest board awhile back for feminine modest clothing and I now have over 150 followers so I think there is a resurging interest.
I think crazy is just a word for people who refuse to follow the crowd and that I never will do, so I guess I will become a crazy old lady.
Very good. Unfortunately I married not to carefully n my youth and I have in-laws who are larger in size and dress like they want to be a part of a tough and mean motorcycle gang. Like they are tough enough to handle using the exact same foul language and other things of that nature. Doesn't make sense to me. I can't consider my in-laws saved based of their behavior. Dressing modestly in public is for a woman's protection from 'fire of whistler.'
Hi Lydia,
I too have been criticized for wearing pretty modest and feminine clothes in the past. When I look at who is doing the criticizing it is usually another woman who is jealous of the clothes or of me. Usually a man likes the type of clothes I wear, especially my husband.
Strangers, men, women and even teenagers have stopped me and mentioned they like the clothes I'm wearing and that they don't see pretty clothes on women anymore.
If a man says something rude like that he is a weak person, and may be because he was trying to impress or prompted to by another woman.
You please the Lord when you dress according to his wishes. Remember who you are dressing for and walk with confidence.
Janet Westrup
I appreciate your nice post today. I was told I am an "idiot" earlier today. People are so immoderate and immodest with their words these days. Anyway, thank you for a breath of fresh air. A word fitly spoken.......and I thank you!
In the Old Testament, about 3000 souls fell the day the Law was given(Exodus 32:28) ~ yet in the New Testament we see about 3000 added to the church at Pentecost(Acts 2:41). God's details are amazing!
That said to note contrasts include a sound mind(having the mind of Christ) in the New Testament as you've shared, Lydia...and an unsound mind in the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes 9:3b. I'd like to share a paragraph from Foundations of Grace(Steven J. Lawson) that encourages my heart(my mother, I, a close friend, and others I know
as having been on the receiving end of "being crazy" and "then some" for standing in the faith, adorning God's doctrine, concerning a myriad of aspects).
Every part of unbelieving man's inner being is consumed with the madness of sin. In his commentary on this text, Bridges writes, "There can be no exaggeration or mistake. It is our Maker--the Great Searcher of the heart--He who alone knows it--it is He that writes, and draws the picture. Nay, He gives a list of the enormities--pouring out of the heart--defiling every member of the body--every faculty of the soul. Nor is the picture confined to any particular age or nation. It is the heart of the sons of men--the history of every child of man in his natural unconverted state. Even under the highest influence of morality--evil passions, as vile as the source from whence they come--are only waiting the unrestrained moment, ere the torrent flow out." Solomon here refers to sin as "madness". Rebellion against God is surely spiritual insanity. Who would dare oppose God and expect to endure? No one in his right mind.
The world is upside down...the gospel turns the world upside down(rightside up) though His word is foolishness to so many(as we in Christ once were).
I'm so grateful for the encouragement at this blog; hugs!!! <3
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