A slightly edited excerpt from a conversation with another Christian CD:

---
here's the thing that i get hung up on about crossdressing...

the flesh will pass away. and the bible says that we shouldn't focus on the flesh. and yet i feel that when i dress, i am giving the flesh a little more attention than i should.

but we all take baths, right?! i mean, that's giving the flesh some attention!
---

Now that you mention it, some ancient and medieval Christians didn't take baths, for exactly this reason; and maybe it did enhance their walk with God in some way. But as for me, pass the soap.

---
then why is tv-ism any different?
---

I think you've already gotten to the heart of what I think. That's the whole point; it isn't any different. The world is full of millions of pleasures; some enjoyed by almost everybody (chocolate), some by only a few (anchovies). Our job with respect to all those pleasures is to see to it that we aren't living for the flesh instead of for the Spirit. That doesn't mean avoiding things because we enjoy them. It certainly doesn't mean getting hung up on whether my tastes are more or less OK than his tastes. It just means keeping all things in perspective, and making our decisions carefully, and always keeping the focus on God.

So... maybe you are giving CDing too much attention, and you have to make a (guiltless, reasoned) decision to cut back, the same way a sports car enthusiast may decide his money is better spent going to a homeless shelter.

Or, if it isn't getting in the way of your spiritual life, if it's a source of genuine joy instead of a distraction from God, then enjoy! I try to incorporate God into all parts of my life, and that includes the crossdressed part. Pray while I put on makeup. Speak the Gospel to CDs. Do volunteer work as Jade. This way, I try to make Jade an enhancement, not a distraction, to my life with God.

The important thing is to treat it like any other decision, not let socially- imposed guilt cloud your thinking.

Ultimately, I think it's very likely that God wants us to enjoy the passions He's given us, but also to think about how we're enjoying them, see to it that it's always to His glory, and sometimes put limits on them. But never throw them away, never act out of self-hatred, never destroy aspects of ourselves that He's put there.

Christ's peace,
-Jade



Return to:
Jade Catherine homepage
'Glory to God' first page