Many people look and wonder to themselves, "Does she ever wear pants?" "What's her religion?" Others simply come right out and ask the question, "What's up with the skirts?" "Do you ever wear pants?"
Either way, for years I have had to share my reasoning for being a Skirts Only girl. Some people can never imagine that there was ever a time in which I chose to wear pants, but the truth be told I can't remember a season of my childhood, teen years or the majority of my college years that I did not have mainly pants in my wardrobe!
In fact, I distinctly recall my mother reminding me to wear "something else" other than my token track and field uniform, which had become much, much more than my sports gear. It had become more like a life-uniform! Baggy sweats, a long sleeve t-shirt sporting my school name and logo, and track-and-field sneakers. It just never made sense to me to take off my token outfit in between two track practices and classes all day long! It just wasn't worth the hassle unless I had a special presentation or wanted to impress the man of my dreams (honesty is the best policy).
But I always loved the beauty of a princess cut Easter dress with many layers. If it was up to me I would have wore these dresses on a day-to-day basis and I could care less what others thought of me. As a child, I wanted to be a princess like all the old school movies I had seen and enjoyed, in a world of refined beauty, lady-like elegance and modest personality. At such a tender age, it was amazing how quickly reality would always quickly settle in, reminding me that I am blessed to live in this current time period, a day and age where I am not a slave or considered less than a human being through injust Jim Crow Laws.
Fortunately, I've been gifted with the opportunity to enjoy the freedom and liberties fought for by my selfless ancestors only 40 years ago. But now I am in a situation where there is so much privilege for African Americans and people of every other culture in America. That was the only reservation I had about living in the time periods of my once favored vintage movies.
To make a long story short, GOD appeared to have taken me up on those wishes, those deep desires I never shared with anyone else, although I was enamored by the lifestyle in these movies- not just skirts but the desire to live in a world in which class, elegance and beauty was immensely appreciated- the beauty of a woman's world, of music lessons and the man of your dreams sweeping you off of your feet onto the side of his horse, riding into a lovely sunset, happily ever after.
Clearly, this world was far from the 80s and 90s child and teenage years I was born into as a young lady. This was way further than the tendernes in my heart and all the desires I found inheritently within me.
It wasn't until years later as a college student with a fresh commitment to living my life for Jesus that I was presented with a gem-stone truth I had never heard before. GOD was presenting before me the opportunity to be that beautiful girl, made like women of old but living in a modern day. I was presented with a truth from a woman I had never met, from across the Atlantic Ocean.
She came all the way from Kenya, Africa to share as a missionary to American women and young girls like me on how to be a Godly wife. I was newly married, literally not even a few months into my marriage yet...fresh off of my honey-moon. And, this was my opportunity to hear from GOD Himself on what He felt for me as a wife and woman.
She began to share about many women's issues but one in particular did not seem to leave my heart after that precious meeting-the comments she made on women's clothing were foreign to me. I had never heard anyone speak on modesty in my life, although I had wonderful teaching throughout my entire life.
This was a valuable treasure for me.
She shared what I learned years later was called by the Jews the art of tznius. This was the art of modesty and refinement. This was not about what you could not show or hiding yourself, it was all about hiding the most beautiful, sacred parts of yourself as you would a prized possesion. Only sharing the hidden parts of you with the closest ones, the near ones in your life- like your husband or family members. This was the value of a woman of Godly heritage.
She carried a humility, a mysterious grace rarely seen by many woman that walk this planet.
And her grace was so rare that it exceeded a sense of fashion alone. It was an internal beauty that stemmed from deep within flowing out onto her countenance and into every other area of her life like a river full of love and kindness.
After hearing these truths about modesty and a woman's worth, I began to see the need for a wardrobe change. I began to know deep within that it was time for a change that was stemming from deep within me. I knew the Lord was sharing a truth with me that would change my life and cost me something personal. I began to one by one remove more and more super-tight fitting clothing and wear more and more dresses and skirts (as in my lady-like girly days :-). Now I was challenged to become more like what I felt GOD wanted me to be and it all becomes more and more clear over the years how this is a part of my destiny.
The values of modesty and not wearing man's clothing (Deut 22:5) became a cherished and real part of my personal value system as a woman of GOD and a way to show outwardly my commitment to GOD, as the Jewish women of the Torah in the days of Abraham and Moses did (everyone knew who they were because of their unique clothing). Once again, I was free to care less about what others thought and more about what He thought. I was free to do what I knew He was telling me to do and be who He was telling me to be (who I already was), but it was not an easy road and not without misunderstanding of what and why I was making this life-altering decision.
Like the Jews, I was given the opportunity to look a little different, be a little different and represent a different type of life that I chose to live! And, it's been wonderful!
This is...Why I Wear Skirts.
