Today’s Modest Matron is – Tamara!

Tamara is a Reformed Southern Baptist, and describes herself as, “joyfully married to a godly man, recently celebrating our 9th anniversary, and have been blessed with 5 children- the 5th being due November 2010. We home educate our blessings and serve the Lord in a foreign land.”

Be sure to read through to the end, to read the incredible story of Tamara’s “silent witness” to her community of muslim women.

Her History:

I was not raised to dress modestly. I was raised by a single woman who, by default, took on the ideology of feminism and seduction that is so prevalent in this world. This was all that she really knew as well, and so it was all she could teach. I faithfully followed the world’s ideals of womanhood most of my life, but as I came to know the Lord as an adult, He began to faithfully renew my mind in every aspect of life. I praise Him for the grace to work with me, the desperate mess that I was, step by step, layer by layer. I did grow away from seduction to a great degree before marriage, but it was after marriage that the Lord began His greatest work of holiness and healing in my life.

To give an example to show how the Lord began working in my life, in college, I began to understand that the way which I dress can affect a brother negatively. I was broken over this fact, and asked a few brothers in Christ to come and search my wardrobe and tell me the things that might make them or another brother stumble, and those things were thrown into the trash in shreds. However, I still had MUCH to learn about my own heart and how deep my ideologies were held and why, and the repentance and growth have been constant and increasing the older I grow in the Lord. He is faithful to renew our minds with His Truth.

Being a first generation Christian, the undertaking of the Lord’s growing me in holiness and Truth has been a large one. Though I can say that I *am* free, I must also profess to be ever growing in the freedom for which Christ has made me free!

Her Mission Story:

My husband and I desired to be missionaries from the time of our courtship. Much work was to be done in our lives- understanding right doctrines, ridding ourselves of debt, repentance of sin, understanding biblical order in the Church and biblical order in the home, what true ministry even is, what is a godly man, what is a godly woman, what the Bible says to all of these things. We had a long road of seeking, searching, failing, repenting, rejoicing in abasements, being broken and chastened, being strengthened, growing, praying… and the culmination of our prayers was an answer of discipleship among a precious body of believers in Spring, TX a little over three years ago.

For 1 1/2 years we were among a true fellowship who strived to honor the Lord- something we’ve found to be uncommon amongst modern Christianity at large. This church was a place where the focus was not on the lost, as though they were the very Lord of the church, but where true discipleship of believers, Titus 2 and edification in love could be found. Disciples were made in order that they would be strengthened to GO OUT and make more disciples in the world. We soaked up much, and this is really where the greatest paradigm shifts began to occur in most all areas of our lives. None of the principles were radically new to us, but rather added to our understanding and to our ability to walk out the direction which we already were headed, striving to serve the Lord. As a woman, I saw truly godly ladies and learned much from them. And, after 1 1/2 years of that- BOOM! We were sent.

As we came to the place where we were sent, not by a group, not my a man’s will, but by the sheer hand of God to do dominion work, we grew even more grateful for all the ways that the Lord had transformed our minds, our family, and us as individuals especially in those precious 20 months we had at our home church.

Tamara’s daughters with a family friend

Her Testimony of Modesty:

Pertaining to modest dress, we were sent to a place of absolute religious legalism. It saddens us to see women who are so oppressed, or who adopt cultural norms blindly without fully grasping their implications or origins. Prisoners who do not know they are behind bars. And yet, they are drawn to us.

Freedom is beautiful, and Christ can shine through those whom He has set free! Everywhere we go, people take our pictures, pet our children and kiss them, watch us, and more than several times, we have seen groups of women following us- watching us in awe.

I am every bit as conservative as these women, but I am different: I am free, because of Christ my Lord. I may not cover all the way down to my wrists and ankles, and all the way up my neck, but my clothing frames my face and not my body. My face is not wildly painted, as some women here feel the need to do in order to assert themselves. I am not oppressed. My husband and I are always together, and I am the only apple of his eye!

Where we live, everything about us is drastically different, yet similar in certain aspects of principle, and it has struck me being here how blessed I was to learn what biblical beauty and femininity are and how to let those things shine for God’s glory. As we- my daughters and I- dress modestly, chastely, and yet beautifully and femininely, the glory of God shines through us and that is one way to lift up the Lord so that He can draw all men unto Himself!

Our freedom in Christ is not to do whatever we want, but a freedom to finally be enabled to do as we should and live to glorify God on whatever mission field we are placed!

I can bring God glory just by being His free woman; His lady- amazing!

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