Self-Control

 

There is a lot of talk about pleasure and the passions in the world of Christendom, usually when it comes to the subject of sex. Everyone is very quick to condemn sexual pleasure but what about culinary pleasure? Why do we see so many overweight Christians and no one seems to say anything about it?

The condemnation of sexual pleasure is a given. There seems to be no question about it. The topic is touched upon in sermons, but one never hears about eating too much. Yes, the church promotes fasting but fasting as a temporary act of self-control of certain food types. It usually happens that all self-control is foregone once the fast is over, thus the issue of being overweight.

It can be easy to see the sin of gluttony and a lack of self-control when it comes to food, but it is not necessarily easy to see a lack of self-control when it comes to sexual pleasure. It is especially odd as girls and women are encouraged to be attractive. Head coverings in church? Yes, this is very common in the Orthodox world but what good is a head covering when one is wearing a short skirt, low-cut top, tight clothing and coated in makeup?

As with everything, it is about balance and moderation. When it comes to appearance, one should strive to not draw attention to oneself. The middle ground will allow one to blend in and not draw attention. There is no need to wear a burlap sack or a burka. There is nothing wrong with these, but these can be problematic on the opposite end of the scale.

The Bible gives no direction on how to dress but it does talk about moderation in all things and about loving one’s neighbor. If one’s appearance is leading others to sin or is causing pride in oneself, then it is a problem.

Foundationally, this is all about self-control in all aspects of life. As someone once said, “there are some sins that are acceptable and others that are not.”  It should not be this way.