SWIMSUIT SHOPPING by Kim Wright

Recently, I had to take my teenage daughters shopping for bathing suits. We each had different ideas of what we considered cute, modest, and appropriate…and their dad and brothers had THEIR own ideas of what THEY considered cute, modest, and appropriate. (Sorry, Dad, but I’m pretty sure a full length turtle neck parka would be a little too much for the pool! :)

To be honest, I was dreading this shopping trip before we even got to the store! I knew from experience that there would be self-esteem issues, peer pressure issues, personality issues, and generation gap issues that would all come to full head in that dressing room! If we left still loving (or even liking!) each other…it would be a miracle! So we did something different this time…something we’ve never taken the time to do before bathing suit shopping (which may explain our failures in the past!)…something that changed our hearts and attitudes and minds and preconceived ideas: We prayed. 

We prayed that God would show us what HE thought was cute and modest and appropriate. We prayed that God would help us find the perfect balance of fashion and modesty. We prayed that He would help us to be mindful of how we can protect the minds of guys we encounter by the way we dress. We prayed that He would remind us (while we were standing in front of three way mirrors that seem to accentuate every flaw in our figure) that we were beautiful to Him. We prayed that God would remind us that He doesn’t look at our outside…He looks at our hearts!

I have read/watched two very thought provoking articles about this issue recently. I understand that this is a “gray area” of scripture. My standards may be different than yours. There is no Bible verse that says what the exact proportions of material should be to cover you when you go to the pool. The point is not to be legalistic…the point is to pray. I’d like to encourage you to take the time to watch/read these two links, and then stop and ask God what HE wants you and your girls to wear this summer!     

http://madeinhisimage.org/the-bikini-question/

http://www.qideas.org/video/the-evolution-of-the-swimsuit.aspx