#Leggings: Are They Causing Men To Stumble?

Are leggings (worn by women) causing men to stumble?

….no.

Leggings are not causing men to stumble; men are causing men to stumble.

What do I mean by this? Let us dive a little deeper.

There are a few grey area topics that are highly debated in Christian circles. Oral sex, kissing, drinking, and same sex attraction are few among many. One topic, however, is not debatable.

Lust.

This is not debatable because Jesus could not have made it any clearer.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27 (ESV)

Jesus made it clear, that if a man looks at a woman in a lustful way, he has committed adultery in his heart. HE (the man) has committed adultery. Jesus does not say, if a woman wears a certain piece of clothing, she has committed adultery. But Jesus does make this comment to the men. This is something to consider when having this conversation about women wearing leggings.

I want to break this post into two sections: One for the ladies, and one for the gentlemen. Of course, either gender can read either section, but it might be the most beneficial to read the section related to your gender.

The purpose of these two sections is to give men and women tangible ways of dealing with this issue. Too often, we just complain that this issue exists (on either side), share an article or post that agrees with our side, and then do nothing to fix the problem. My prayer is that I can create a system (specifically more for the men) to help us be more accountable and to help deal with the issue of lust.

For the Ladies:

I am not here to tell you what you can and cannot do with your bodies. This is not my place and I am not even going to walk that line.

However, as a follow of Christ, there is one question you must ask yourself when it comes to anything that you do:

Why?

Are you loving God by seeking first the Kingdom? Are you loving and servings others? Are you able to pursue excellence by doing this (whatever “this” is)? This is not about leggings; this is about your relationship with God. Do not let a piece of clothing (or anything) get in the way of that. If you can love God, love others, and pursue excellence when answering the “why” question, then you can do whatever you desire!

For the men:

It is no secret that lusting after women can be as easy as breathing. And because Jesus was so clear that this is wrong--that this is adultery—we should take steps to improve in this area.

But how?

Sure, we can just say “Do not look at women in a sexual way.” But if you tried this in a serious way (as did I), you know that this is much easier said then done. So, what do we do?

I believe I have a step forward.

I do not want to pretend to have the “perfect” answer, but at the same time, I cannot sit back and just hope through osmosis that this problem will go away. We need to deal with this, and we need to deal with this urgently! Whether you are single, in a relationship, or married, this is for you! Every man on the planet can benefit from this because every man struggles with lust in some way. This may not be an answer for you, but I urge you to try. And not just try but give it all you have! It is time to finally deal with this lust problem. It is time to take a step forward in being anti-adulterers!

What is this program called? It is called #themindchallenge.

After all, the lust that Jesus is referring to happens with the mind and with the heart. So, it makes the most sense to tackle this issue with our mind and our heart—not with clothing that women wear. I humbly ask you to take this journey with me. Here we go!

I have included a link to a separate post so that it can serve as a reference point. Feel free to bookmark that page so that you can access it with ease.

Link to #themindchallenge

As with all my blogs, this is solely my opinion. I do not want to pretend to have the absolute “right answer.” I am speaking to myself as much as I am speaking to others. It is okay to disagree with me, and I welcome discourse. My only request is that every word of each blog is weighed heavily and considered before agreeing or disagreeing with the points presented in each entry. Please keep in mind that I am a Christian, so my beliefs and opinions will be influenced by my faith. I will upload blogs every Friday. If you would like to suggest a topic for me to cover, you can do so via Facebook or twitter. You can follow me on twitter @mjeromebell #themiddlegroundblog

#blog #leggings #stumblingblockformen? #themindchallenge