i am noticing a trend. when seasons change from winter to summer, people act extreme in the name of 'cool', especially in their cars and in the way they dress.
this past week, the weather here has changed from cold and snowy to warm and sunny, and the local residents have changed from cautious and covered to reckless and exposed...
as i drove to work today, i was turning right at a point where i had the right of way. the car turning into my lane who did NOT have the right of way had a woman in the passenger seat with her arm hanging out the open window. the look on her face as they careened around in front of me was priceless: irritation, disgust, how-dare-you... even though they were in the wrong.
just a few days ago i sat at a parking lot exit, waiting for a wall of cars to pass by so that i could drive off. from out of nowhere, another car behind me swerved right around me and turned in front of me, clearly straining his little car and struggling to keep pace with the steady flow of traffic.
and this is just the first week of warm weather...
what makes people do this?! does it make them feel better to arrive at their destination 1.2 seconds faster? and why is it that, in their cars, people somehow feel the freedom to bully others? that people feel that they are the ONE who is not going to get into an accident while driving recklessly?
a few weeks ago, we had a slightly warm day, nothing like the 70s we've been experiencing now. it might have been more like 50 out. but because it was warmer than it had been, people were out in their short sleeves and itty-bitty shorts! it snowed that night and while the flakes were dropping out of the sky, i saw one guy who was still in his shorts! really???
and i know from the past few years that when it really gets hot out, people will use that excuse to wear practically nothing outside in public. and yes, i said EXCUSE. people know good and well that you don't have to strip down to your underwear just because it's hot out.
for example: beach volleyball. somehow it became an olympic sport, so i have actually seen photos (unintentionally). the women wear the tiniest, most ridiculous excuses for clothing ever. and i heard some people say it's because they need to be free to move and it's so hot out... nonsense. men play beach volleyball too and you know what they wear? long shorts. and a big shirt.
another example: people around the world. women and young girls in the US have been wearing less and less during the hot months of the year. it's so hot, they say. i can't stand all these hot clothes. nonsense. people live in deserts, which are much hotter, and what do they wear? long dresses or pants because it prevents dehydration. they aren't dying of heat. you're more likely to die of heat with all your moisture floating away!
we want to be 'cool'. we want to stand out and be attractive. we want to fit in. we want others to look at us and think, ooh i want to be like them!
it's tempting to try to be the one everyone desires. it feeds our ego to be the driver of a fast car and to speed around everyone else. we know they'll look at us. even if they look at us with furrowed brow, they're looking at us.... and, we think, probably wishing they were like us. that's why, when we blast our radio at a stop light, we look straight ahead, not at anyone around us. it wouldn't be 'cool' to look around and see who's looking!
it feeds our ego to think we're the girl every other girl wants to be and every man wants to be with. so women stuff themselves into tiny shorts and shave as much leg as they can find and wear push-up bras and show cleavage, then walk past everyone with head held high, lest they be caught checking to see who's looking at them.
you know what i think? i think the reason we don't look around when we're doing something 'cool' for others to look at is that we're a little embarrassed to be acting this way. really, it's like a 5-year-old screaming in a shopping cart. children aren't afraid to blatantly grab attention, but as we grow up that behavior is frowned upon, so we just change how we do it. motorcyclists attach those ridiculously loud tailpipes. women contort their feet into uncomfortably high heels. girls strut by in jeans that look suctioned on. speeding cars swerve around and cut you off in traffic. deep down they're crying for attention.
you don't have to forego your life, limb, and soul to get attention. there will always be someone cooler than you, prettier than you. your neighbor will wax his car shinier than yours. but God wants you just how you are. He wants you to care for your life, limb, and soul. and He wants you to care for others on the road and to dress modestly. you don't have to sell yourself.
this is what He says:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name;
you are mine.
... you are precious and honored in My sight,
and... I love you."
Isaiah 43:1, 4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
Philippians 2:3
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety."
1 Timothy 2:9
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