Sin of Vanity – How much is too much?

OK, let me set the stage for you all.
I came home from school yesterday and immediately sat down at the table to take off my shoes and apply bandages to my torn up heels. the wedges I was wearing always make my skin tear and sometimes bleed, so it wasn't anything unexpected. my dad came in and asked me why I wore shoes that hurt so much, and I explained that they're pretty shoes that I loved, plus everyone else likes them too. on his constant quest to overthrow my religion, my father questioned this statement, asking
"Isn't that vanity? Aren't you sinning and going against your 'religion'?"
Not knowing how to reply, I stated "my desire to look well doesn't interfere with my serving Christ, so no, I'm not sinning."

My questions Are these:

How should I have answered my father?

I want to look good, and it's important that I keep a nice appearance, and the church (LDS) promotes being well-groomed, so when does the act of wanting to look pretty become the sin of vanity?

On that note, when does being proud of something turn to pride?

Where are the lines drawn on all of these things?

Was my response to my father even close to correct, or should I have just kept my mouth shut?

Thanks everyone, and God Bless

If you do something once or twice, then it's no big deal. if it becomes a "habit", or a lifestyle, then it becomes a "sin".
Wanting to look pretty is not vain. Thinking you are "all that", is.
Being proud of your accomplishments is not pride, or arrogance, but, again, thinking you are all that, is.
And btw, ditch the shoes. You know, there are such things as shoes that are nice looking, AND comfortable......
God bless you too.
Peace!

Your desire to look (well) does interfere, since pain is a detractor. I would say that if you come home bleeding most days, that's way too far.

I'd say you just need new shoes.

Probably not a sin so much as c r a z y....yeeoouuccchhhhh.

They ALWAYS do that?! ;-S

I suggest you get some new shoes.
Seriously! Ouccccchhhh..

So I take it your dad is not a believer but seeks to hold you to yours? (that is hypocrisy in itself)

Well I have to preface this by saying youre on the wrong road if youre a Mormon. I would leave that church and become a Christian. Mormons deny who Jesus was and are therefore unable to accept the Gospel.

As far as your dad is concerned, he is a man. and us men are practical beings. many of us cannot understand the impractical choice of choosing something based not on its functionality but on asthetics. (looks) With men, we pride ourselves on being practical from top to bottom no matter what we buy whether its clothes, tools, cars, etc. everything has to fit the prarmeters of the intended goal (since men tend to be more goal-driven) and therefore looks and style is a secondary matter.

What you do with your dad is illustrate this principle of femininity. not everything has to be 100% functional and utilitarian. especially clothes. You should state that unlike a car, computers, tools, can openers, etc; your clothes go everywhere with you. Therefore it is in your self-interest to pick something more astheitcally pleasing. Also show him your other shoes that ARE practical. Im sure you just dont wear the uncomfortable shoes ALL the time. Explain to him that its not a sin to be impractical or a woman sometimes.

So what is vanity? in the movie Seven, the serial killer injures a beautiful woman and glues a phone in one hand to call police and rescue her. in the other hand, she has a bottle full of pain pills. if she calls, she will live but be disfigured. she chooses to overdose on the pain pills rather than live like that.

This is vanity. Vanity is the sinful condition of venerating asthetics. everything done in a vain persons life is for appearance to gain acceptance and love from others. Asthetics is their primary motivation.

So when it comes time to choose and serve in the kingdom of God, the vain person is ill-equipped. they care most about showing up to church in the best appearance possible. Better to stay home rather than go to church and not look the best. they care about their car and clothes being the most stylish. they wouldnt be caught dead not dressing their kids in name brand outfits. they care about the social gatherings. they care about the gossip. the last thing they care about is actually serving their fellow man or true integrity. they care more about shopping and the latest fashion rather than going to Bible study. this is vanity.

So you have to judge for yourself if this is a problem for you. How focused on God are you?

To silence your dad, all you have to do is point to something in his life that he doesnt need. (an option on his car, a 2nd TV, etc) and tell him that although he doesnt need X, he has it anyway as a luxury. and tell him its no different with your shoes. and then ask him at what point do our luxuries become a "sin?" and ask him where buying the occasional luxury or impractical pair of shows is a sin in the Bible.

un lees you God told you to were clean socks and shoes in perfect condition you dint have much to reply on it being any thing religious. But what i would start our with in the days that Jesus walked the earth in the flesh people were primitive foot were or sandals. there feet were often injured just walking across there village. but that pain didn't stop them from doing this each day. and Jesus shure didn't judge them for it ether. there is a story were a woman is washing Jesus es feet to show respect to him. but he did not commit a sin just because he let his feet get cluttered in the dirt and most likely he had a few cuts on his heals as well being poor he couldn't afford ne sandals to keep his feet from getting hurt.

Honor your Father and Mother that your days may be long upon the face of the earth!

Wearing something that hurts you feet or body is not honoring your Father ,neither your Heaven Father nor your earthly father. in submission to them both , You need to throw those shoes away !

I guess I have to ask if you are a Christian and your earthly father who loves you and is unsaved . what is your Witness to your dad doing to bring him closer to salvation and which is more important your dad going to hell or pleasing your friends and destroying your body !

I think if you can answer with anything other than your witness to your dad then you really need to stop hanging with those friends and start hanging with New Friends at church!

Wow! How old is your father? Sin of vanity? I'm 47 and it was old when I was young if you understand what I mean. I'm a very religious person but it's nice to look good. my parents were the best parents in the world but they were old when I was born in 1961. my mother was 39 and my father was 42. I spent my childhood never hearing I was pretty but hearing that my cousin and friend was pretty. I figured I was the ugliest person on earth. when I left home, I found out that I wasn't so ugly after all, young men were looking at me and asking me on dates. I then asked my mother if she really thought I was ugly and my cousin beautiful. she answered that it would have been a sin of vanity to tell me I was beautiful but it was ok to tell my cousin she was beautiful because she wasn't her daughter. on the other hand, her mother was telling her she was beautiful and never told me anything, she thought my mother was saying it to me. Don't get me wrong, my parents were my best friends(they're dead now) but you can tell that story to your father in a way he understands the damage it can create. I have a 14½ year old daughter and tell her every day how beautiful she is and two sons, 11 and 9, to whom I say how handsome they are. I also make sure they have nice clothes so the children don't look at them the way they looked at me.

i think we all sin in some way even if we are not willing to admit it or we had, people steal others cheat others lie, others are vain, others are luxurious, i think im very vain too, and it sucks ....cause i think vanity is like a cancer,...that instead of growing in your body grows in your soul, you care about yourself and you want to look good, you find ways to look good for instance buy shoes like yours, then more, then more, then more stuff...and it grows like that....but i dont think you should feel guilty because you are at the age someday you will change when you realize that life is not based on you know vanity, and you'll change when you get more busier and have bills to pay.. so don't worry ..and i dont think you are obsessively vain...you just like the shoes...that's all, its normal at our age.

wearing shoes you like its a style...

at least your not narsosistic that's waayy worse.

First of all we are ALL prideful and vane - we just are at varying degrees on our own self-made scale I would say. anything that is materialistic at all is vanity. Homes, nice clothes, xpensive haircuts, hair-coloring, fake nails, makeup, our cars, even our careers sometimes. PRIDE is similarly gauged - we can be proud of something or someone, but being prideful, haughty, stiff necked (in scripture), self centered, selfish, self righteous, judgmental, and so forth are sinful ways of being PROUD.

We all gotta draw those lines for ourselves on a very personal and individual and situational basis I believe. trying a little harder each day or each week or year or situation to be less prideful, less vane - putting the things of GOD above the things of man, the world, possessions. HOW HUMBLE are we? HOW serving, giving, charitable?

Thankfully within the church we are given opportunities often to put off the natural man in service to our fellowman in selfless service - doing that CAN change us and help us put our worldly pride & vanity in proper perspective and in check. where I draw my LINE in the sand is different than where others might, which is ok too I think. SHOES: I love shoes and probably have 50-60 pair of them. BUT I refuse to pay $50-60 for a pair of shoes! I also refuse to pay $40 for a haircut or put out $40 a month to have fake nails even though I love having them. I can't justify paying exorbitant amounts of money for myself... or for things that I can get at lesser amounts of money. Lots of people have no trouble doing this so obviously they draw their lines differently huh?

SO, my point is - you gotta judge for yourself and realign, change or alter your own thinking or behavior accordingly and within your personal spiritual comfort zone!

Sin of Vanity - How much is too much?