I made a rare trip to the mall to get my hair cut last weekend. I hate taking the kids to the mall - mainly because there are shops like Victoria Secret or Abecrombe with pictures and mannequins of people that are practically naked. As a family, we have a pretty long list of stores and brands we won't buy from because of various reasons. If my kids ever feel the need to keep up with the latest fashions - they'll be out of luck! I got a good look at some pretty terrible subtle sexual references on American Eagle shirts as a teacher and that's just one example.
But what I saw Saturday really surprised me. The Buckle had a huge display in the window of pretty, rhinestone shirts that all said "sinful." Wow. I did a doubletake. Did those shirts really say that? Now, we've seen shirts that say "naughty" or "bad girl" but, sinful - that's a religious word that implies, "I am full of everything God hates." And to flaunt it in rhinestones on your chest. Apparently Sinful is a whole brand name they carry - all of the Sinful line has the word written in large letters across the front.
Now, I am certainly not without sin myself. And we all need to realize our sinfulness; with conviction and humility - but realization of the cost of that sinfulness is what our generation needs to know. The consequences are huge - death and eternal separation from God. Like it says in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” That should be a scary thought!
Thankfully, there is a solution. Being sinful isn't a permanent condition. God loves us even when we are sinful and it says in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
What a terrible thing for a shirt to promote! But, I would love to run into someone wearing one. I would ask, "Are you sinful?" And I think it would be a great opening into an important discussion.
1 comment:
I am with you and we have high standards for our grands. Pants up, belt on, shoes tied, no spaghetti straps, modesty tee shirts under shear clothes, shorts under dresses, no writing across your bottom. I love clothes that show a child to be a child not an advertisement for sin!
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