I don’t think people recognize the direness of the yoga pants rule.

For such a long time, as a middle schooler and high schooler, I put every ounce of angst into what I wore. I didn’t want to “tempt my brothers in Christ,” so I refused to wear yoga pants or leggings or any other abominations that would surely be cause for them to gouge out their eyes. I didn’t want to be responsible for that.

But then, after many years, I started thinking about myself. I started thinking First) It is not my fault if they lust because of a pair of pants. If that was in their heart, they would have done it had I been wearing overalls, skinny jeans, or sweatpants.

Second) I started making MYSELF comfortable INSTEAD of the boys around me. Yoga pants/leggings are ten times more comfortable than jeans, slacks, or any other type of pants. So I decided on my comfort over theirs.

Third) I realized that possibly, an even greater sin than me wearing something that might cause a guy to stare at my butt was the fact that each morning of mine started out with anxious worry. Tears came. Anxiety set in. I would be sweating before both my legs were clothed. I never knew what to wear. Forget fashion or style, I couldn’t even begin to enjoy those. I was just trying to get every part of me fully covered with the loosest fitting articles of clothing I could find.

This, my friends, is not healthy. It needs to stop.

I went to a church meeting where a group of girls held a Bible study with two older women as the leaders. That night, for the first time in my life I decided, “Screw it,” and wore the yoga pants. It was just girls anyway, right?

The older women there happened to be moms of sons and somehow, guess what they started talking about? THE SINFULNESS OF YOGA PANTS!

In a room of fifteen to twenty girls, I looked around and just happened to be the only one dreadfully sinning. I guess they all knew better.

The point is, I felt judged and bullied by church, self-conscious all the time about how I looked, and went through a daily battle of how to dress myself.

Is it possible that Jesus pointed to the birds of the air, who by the way didn't and still don't wear any clothes at all, to show us we need not worry about clothes? Nothing good can come from worrying and each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34

If you’ve ever struggled with how to dress yourself vs. how church wants you to dress vs. being comfortable vs. all sorts of other things, I hear you.

Young girls’ hearts and minds are at stake and the church should not be shaping them from a judgmental standpoint, but the opposite. No woman’s clarity of mind should suffer for the sake of a man’s lack of self-control.

Don’t ever sacrifice your beautiful self for angst and worry. If you make a mistake, you know better for next time. But don’t ever let worry lead your life.