WOMEN HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAT PRIORITIES BECOME LOST IN THE MUDDLE. One Woman Has So Much On Her Plate She Wonders How She Can Escape The Pressure Of Fixing Her Hair, Her Makeup And Her Diet At Church. Churchgoers are so caught up in being spectators, they forget about what matters more.

Jesus said not to worry about what you eat or wear (Luke12 22:34). How can a woman escape the pressure to fix her hair, makeup, & diet even in Church?

* I asked this long ago & it got misunderstood for lack of room. People had prayed for “weight loss” due to gain from life-saving medication & more. The same happened to a friend with Lupus. Many churches do. My weight’s fine now, but why not pray about the vasculitis or my friend’s Lupus instead?

Harry Riches, Answer requested by an anonymous person

Let us consider what you have to say in the context of what Jesus said, for I am sure the correct understanding will emerge.

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:22–34)

Obviously, Jesus is saying that the cares of this world (food, drink, clothing and shelter) are not what give provide eternal life. Therefore, these things ought not be your priority in life. If you are wise, your priority would be to accumulate treasure that is eternally rewarding and cannot be destroyed.

When you ask how can a woman escape the pressure of fixing her hair, putting on makeup and dieting in Church, I assume you mean in attending a church meeting and not necessarily being a member of congregation.

If your concern is to be approved by Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the spiritual riches of life, then these things will be of more importance than appearance.

Naturally if a person wants to win the approval of people, then when in Rome, do as the Romans do. However, you need not go to Rome to attend church. For a woman seeking to become a dedicated member of the Roman Catholic Church, just might be pressured into wearing a habit. If a woman does not like the habit, she is advised not to become dedicated to the Roman Church. You will be better off not becoming a nun.

• I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion. (1 Timothy 2:8-10)

In the above text from the book of Timothy, the Apostle Paul is saying that men are to lift up holy hands in church and women are to clothe themselves modestly, and adorn their character with good deeds.

In the church that you attend, do men lift up holy hands when praying? If not, then the church you are attending are not following the instructions that is given in the Bible.

Do the women wear braided hair, gold, pearls and costly attire? If so, then they are not following the instructions given in the Bible.

As in the case of deciding not to become a nun because you do not like the habit, you can always go to another congregation that is more amenable to your liking. Although, personally, a congregation that seeks to conform to the Scriptures is much better than one that is all about keeping up appearances. Why practice sham religion, when you can have the real deal?

The attitude of the heart is more important to God than the outward appearance. Surely finding favor with God and knowing the joy of salvation is more important than worrying about whether what you are wearing impresses men or eclipses what other women are wearing. Reality is about life not virtuality. For when a woman hurts her ankle, she forgets about what she is wearing; reality forces her to focus on relief.

In fact,when catching up and having a coffee with a female friend only yesterday, my friend said to me that these days she realizes that people do not really care about how she looks, it is just what she was thinking, they are too busy being concerned about themselves. And she had real issues; because she is in her fifties and dresses as someone who is in her late twenties. She felt women gave her dirty looks, because they did not have the figure or the looks to dress as she did. The reality was they were merely responding to her distorted perception. Now that she has changed her perception, everyone else seems to have changed theirs—miracles do happen!

Getting the log out of our own eye is the most important thing for each one of us to do. Yet even in this, we are not pressured. God lets us decided if we really want this experience. For when we have allowed the Holy Spirit to do this in our own lives, we can see more clearly what God desires of us. Fortunately, getting the log out of our own eye does not require us to be keeping up appearances, otherwise we might end up like Mrs Hyacinth Bucket (here!).

Take a trip on the wild side and learn to see what God is going to do, rather than what people are likely to do.

Take A Trip On The Wild Side And Experience What God Can Do