Dressing to not offend others...

Okay. I’ll chime in on my thought on the airplane dress codes issue.

You have probably heard by now of Kyla Ebbert. Kyla was taking a flight from San Diego to Tucson, when a stewardess told her that her clothing was too revealing. If she couldn’t adjust things or cover up somehow, she would have to leave the flight. Kyla and her parents have hired a lawyer and taken the case to the public, appearing on NBC’s The Today Show. For at least three days in a row I have seen this story on www.msn.com, my internet homepage.

A second incident has occurred as well, a few days after the first, involving Setara Qassim and the same airline before a flight from Tucson to Burbank, CA. In both cases, the young ladies are very upset at the existence of an “unwritten dress code.”

My reflection on this – remember that all our choices, even what we choose to wear, affects others. We don’t live in a bubble. What we do in public, even what we wear in public, has an impact on others. We should be mindful of this.

As a believer, I would have been very uncomfortable sitting next to either of these young ladies in their chosen outfits. So uncomfortable, an option to get off the plane myself would have be an alternative. It is my understanding that in both cases, a passenger complained, which prompted the stewardess to take action. In my opinion, the airlines actions were appropriate.

In the New Testament, Paul knew that what was lawful for some might be unlawful to others. What is okay for us in some situations might not be okay in others. Our goal then is to make sure that even if we think something is okay, we need to make sure that we don’t offend others who might not think it is okay. These two young ladies offended someone else. Even they thought their outfits were okay, they crossed the line when they offended others.

Be considerate of others, and try not to offend anyone for any reason. We will do well to do this.