two women both trapped in their cultures

I saw something the other day that really struck me. I saw two women both trapped in their cultures.

One was a young Muslim woman walking her child to school. The other was an older woman walking on the sidewalk in front of the school.

The young Muslim woman was covered head to foot in spite of the heat. She had a rather thick black scarf that covered her whole head except for her face. She was also wearing a long sleeved black coat that covered her from shoulders to feet. It barely cleared the ground. You knew she had to be hot and probably smelled to high heaven from the weight of the clothing.

The older woman was probably in her 60’s. She was wearing a tight low necked shirt and short skirt with spike heels in spite of the fact that she was too old for such an ensemble.  You knew she had to be uncomfortable, her feet probably hurt, the clothing looked extremely uncomfortable.

Both women were trapped in their cultures. Both women, if given the choice in life would probably have chosen to wear something different.

If the young Muslim woman had been given her choice, she would not have put on a heavy coat and heavy head covering in 90 degree heat. But she had to dress the way she was dressed. It was mandated by her religion and her lifestyle. If she didn’t dress that way, she could be in danger of her life, or at least ostracism from her group. So, for self-preservation, she dressed in heavy clothing in the heat.

The other woman probably viewed her self-worth as needing the short skirt and tight low-necked blouse to be attractive to men. Why else would a woman of her age ever wear something so young and uncomfortable? If she didn’t dress that way, she could be in danger of being alone with no man wanting her. So, for self-preservation, she dressed in provocative clothing in spite of her age and her comfort.

Both women trapped in a need to “save their lives.” Both lived in danger of losing those things which were valuable to them.

It is sad that both were forced, or felt themselves forced to conform to their group’s ideas of how to dress.

Since this is America, the young Muslim woman was free to dress however she wanted. Yet she was in a group that used force, mutilation and death to force their women to wear things which were not necessarily needed.

Since this is America, the older woman could have found a group to be with that didn’t depend on her “beauty.”

But both were trapped. What a shame.

i saw two women today, both of whom were victims of their culture

And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (1 Timothy 2:8-10 NLT)

I saw two women today, both of whom were victims of their culture. And both made me sad.

The first was a young Muslim woman who was walking her child to school. She had on a veil that fully covered her hair and a long heavy coat. Her culture told her to cover up lest someone see her and lust after her. the indication is, men are such beasts that if the woman has to neutralize herself or it is her fault.

Even though the heat was rather great, she still wore the heavy clothing her culture demanded of her. She was a prisoner in her system, trapped in her culture.

The other woman was an older woman, probably around 70. She was wearing a tight, low cut t shirt and tight white pants. Her hair was teased up and she had on high heels. Even though most women at that age have learned some discernment in their dress, she obviously hadn’t.

Her culture said that a woman had to look good or she had no place in the world. If she was not desirable, she was nothing. So she wore clothing that aggressively advertised her femininity even though she was elderly. Even though there were a number of things she could wear that would be much more comfortable, especially at her age, she chose the revealing and tight things.

She, too, was a prisoner in her system, trapped inside her culture.

One said that she dare not show that she was female or no one would like her; the other said that unless she did show that she was female, no one would like her.

Jesus made a comment in Matthew 15:11 that said: It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. In other words it is not what you eat or drink or wear that matters, it is how you live.

The apostle Paul said the same basic thing in Romans 14:17-18: the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.

It is the internal woman that he looks at, not the external.

Neither of these women were accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish. The young Muslim woman was careful not to offend her culture because in her culture, that offense could bring death. The older woman was careful to do what she thought would bring approval in her culture, because she thought that was expected of her.

I suppose in some ways, both were right and both were wrong. To both it was a matter of survival, of being to get along and live well in their respective cultures.

If they could just dress like the godly woman in 1 Timothy 2. She dressed well and people approved of her, yet she was not ostentatious in what she wore. Because, when it comes down to it, God doesn’t care what you wear, as long as it is modest and appropriate.

Thank you, Lord.