I Want The Winter Back
It's definitely scorching out there. The weatherman reports that the heat index is reaching new heights every day. While some may assume that's why I long for winter, the truth is different. Do you want to know why I'm eager for winter to come back? Stick with me for a moment and find out. I have a story to tell.
It had been a long day for me, and I felt exhausted. I eagerly awaited boarding the train to rest my legs and use the 15-minute ride back home from downtown Calgary to reflect on my day.
As I walked across the street toward the train platform, a middle-aged woman walking beside me brought me back to reality. She suddenly asked, "Is that a skirt?"
Confused by the question, I followed her gaze and saw a young lady crossing the street wearing something that shocked me, and I shook my head in disbelief. The skirt was what I could call a Skirt-Pant if there is anything like that. As someone who just moved from the Middle East, where there are strict conservative dress codes for women, and as an African who values cultural norms regarding womanhood, I have always been conscious of not being seen as having a different or primitive perspective on dressing by the local community in North America
I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised by the remark of the lady, aware that if she felt such disgust with the young woman's dressing, then I was not being irrational or out of place in thinking that the over-the-top provocative and nude dressing I have observed in the city is outrageous. Her remark brought to the fore that not everyone supports the seemingly viral display of the human body and sexualization under the pretext of a welcoming change in the weather or the scorching heat of the summer. More so, against the background of a previous discussion with a friend who opined that although he does not support people dressing virtually naked in the summer, he could understand why they do so given the intensity of the cold winter months, so experiencing summer is a welcome development.
As we waited for the train, I chatted with the woman. She said she would never let her daughter go out in that dress. This comment resonated, as I have four young daughters at home.
What value are we portraying as a society if we promote and encourage this lifestyle of dressing naked or half-naked, as some will choose to call it? Indeed it is a free world, but the choices we make not only define who we are as an individual but also our society.
The scripture is so complete and has a response for this "it's my choice" thinking. According to 1 Corinthians.., "Only be careful that this power of choice (this permission and liberty to do as you please) which is yours, does not [somehow] become a hindrance (cause of stumbling) to the weak or overscrupulous [giving them an impulse to sin]."
Charity begins at home, and the home being the smallest unit of society, is where we can shape things morally. My challenge to every parent out there is how will you like your child to be seen. They are not only representing themself but also representing you, and if you are a Christian, they are supposed to be representing Christ.
I know this topic is a hard sell in today's world, but it has come to be seen thus because everybody thinks somebody will talk about it, and over the years, nobody did.
So, in case you were wondering why I want the winter back, despite how harsh the winter weather can be, that is my story. I have lived in a world of two extremes. When I was leaving the Middle East for North America, I knew I was moving from one extreme to the other in terms of weather; I did not realize that these extreme changes go beyond the weather. So, I want my winter back with the sensible cover-up of the body that decency in any society demands.
And I leave you with this word of the scripture which says......But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion. (1 Corinthians 14:40 AMP)
Shalom
Pastor Toks Balogun
It had been a long day for me, and I felt exhausted. I eagerly awaited boarding the train to rest my legs and use the 15-minute ride back home from downtown Calgary to reflect on my day.
As I walked across the street toward the train platform, a middle-aged woman walking beside me brought me back to reality. She suddenly asked, "Is that a skirt?"
Confused by the question, I followed her gaze and saw a young lady crossing the street wearing something that shocked me, and I shook my head in disbelief. The skirt was what I could call a Skirt-Pant if there is anything like that. As someone who just moved from the Middle East, where there are strict conservative dress codes for women, and as an African who values cultural norms regarding womanhood, I have always been conscious of not being seen as having a different or primitive perspective on dressing by the local community in North America
I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised by the remark of the lady, aware that if she felt such disgust with the young woman's dressing, then I was not being irrational or out of place in thinking that the over-the-top provocative and nude dressing I have observed in the city is outrageous. Her remark brought to the fore that not everyone supports the seemingly viral display of the human body and sexualization under the pretext of a welcoming change in the weather or the scorching heat of the summer. More so, against the background of a previous discussion with a friend who opined that although he does not support people dressing virtually naked in the summer, he could understand why they do so given the intensity of the cold winter months, so experiencing summer is a welcome development.
As we waited for the train, I chatted with the woman. She said she would never let her daughter go out in that dress. This comment resonated, as I have four young daughters at home.
What value are we portraying as a society if we promote and encourage this lifestyle of dressing naked or half-naked, as some will choose to call it? Indeed it is a free world, but the choices we make not only define who we are as an individual but also our society.
The scripture is so complete and has a response for this "it's my choice" thinking. According to 1 Corinthians.., "Only be careful that this power of choice (this permission and liberty to do as you please) which is yours, does not [somehow] become a hindrance (cause of stumbling) to the weak or overscrupulous [giving them an impulse to sin]."
Charity begins at home, and the home being the smallest unit of society, is where we can shape things morally. My challenge to every parent out there is how will you like your child to be seen. They are not only representing themself but also representing you, and if you are a Christian, they are supposed to be representing Christ.
I know this topic is a hard sell in today's world, but it has come to be seen thus because everybody thinks somebody will talk about it, and over the years, nobody did.
So, in case you were wondering why I want the winter back, despite how harsh the winter weather can be, that is my story. I have lived in a world of two extremes. When I was leaving the Middle East for North America, I knew I was moving from one extreme to the other in terms of weather; I did not realize that these extreme changes go beyond the weather. So, I want my winter back with the sensible cover-up of the body that decency in any society demands.
And I leave you with this word of the scripture which says......But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion. (1 Corinthians 14:40 AMP)
Shalom
Pastor Toks Balogun
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Tagged with Winter, Dressing, Summer, weather, nudity, skirt, Calgary, Worship, Christian Worship, Place of Worship, inspiration, Church, RCCG Calgary, Bible study, Word of God
Tagged with Winter, Dressing, Summer, weather, nudity, skirt, Calgary, Worship, Christian Worship, Place of Worship, inspiration, Church, RCCG Calgary, Bible study, Word of God
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Awesome! Was wondering why winter until I read the piece. More grace, Sir