Challenging the Norm and trying to find what pleases God

by Emily
(Minnesota, USA)

I appreciate your post because the fear of man and the pull of 'culture' is so strong with me. Pleasing God can be so difficult. I love your faith and obedience and it is so refreshing to find someone whom I can relate with. I love your song about being brave. This is from a post I wrote at www.farmgirl.hazubu.com about my experience:

My first year of wearing a sleeved swim suit option:

When discussing modesty with a dear fellow Christian friend of mine, I began to ponder, due to her example, using a sleeved option for swim wear. Discussing this with my husband, I knew that he as a high school swimmer, wouldn’t find it a viable option for swim racing. But I would only be recreationally or exercise swimming, so I continued to ponder. Though there are conservative and modest tank swimsuits out there, I began to wonder if covering my shoulders might be something acceptable and pleasing to the Lord, as they are an attractive part of the body, and the temple garment that I wear as under clothing in my religion, lends to only clothing that covers them. However, barring rash guards, sleeved swimsuits are not something you very often see which made me feel awkward about the option. I thought about the counsel I receive when I go to my interview of worthiness to attend the temple of the Lord. In it, we are asked if we wear our temple garment at all times. We are not asked to wear our temple garment during sports or swimming for comfort issues. But I choose to wear exercise attire that would accommodate the modest underwear that covenant keeping Latter Day Saints wear. I thought, why not wear swimwear that also would cover my temple garments, even though I don’t actually wear them during swimming, as an added protection to my chastity, and to treat my body more as a temple. But part of me really didn’t want to do this. So I prayed about it, and both times I did, the spirit told me that this choice would be pleasing unto the Lord. So, for me, though I may be overly conservative as to the norms in modest culture in this choice, as Brother Tanner stated, it is better to “err on the side of caution”.


...and for pictures to go with this tutorial to make a swim shirt to go with a 'normal' swim suit:
see:

http://farmgirl.hazubu.com/?p=147


The second and third year of wearing clothing that was modest to swim in, I didn't feel awkward anymore, and I felt so peaceful in pleasing God. Plus I felt like a daughter in line with God, rather than usually a righteous daughter of God whom secretly doesn't mind letting others know I've got a cute figure at swim season! :)