The issue of modesty is raised more often today, though probably not enough.
God has given mankind an inherent desire to be attractive. I don’t know a soul who doesn’t or hasn’t struggled with this. We all want to look good to others. That’s why God addresses the “fear of man” and tells us to do everything as unto Christ, not by way of eyeservice as unto men. He knows we’ll have issues with wanting to impress others.
I Peter 3 tells us to attire (dress up) ourselves, not merely by fixing our hair and wearing pretty things, but that we should desire to be attractive in our character (the hidden woman of the heart).
God has given mankind an inherent desire to be attractive. I don’t know a soul who doesn’t or hasn’t struggled with this. We all want to look good to others. That’s why God addresses the “fear of man” and tells us to do everything as unto Christ, not by way of eyeservice as unto men. He knows we’ll have issues with wanting to impress others.
I Peter 3 tells us to attire (dress up) ourselves, not merely by fixing our hair and wearing pretty things, but that we should desire to be attractive in our character (the hidden woman of the heart).
I find that everyone has different ideas as to what constitutes modesty, and though it's somewhat of a personal decision, we are called to consider the interests of others ahead of our own. Doing just that will help us make good decisions in this area. We can ask our parents, siblings, or another trusted older person for their opinions. The old adage, "When in doubt, throw it out." is a great one to apply to our clothing choices, especially if the person giving our second opinion has doubts.
The most imporant step in the process of choosing what to wear is asking God. Our authorities are actually one way He directs us, but we can also imagine Him standing in front of the mirror with us. What does the look in His eyes say? Are we embarassed to allow Him to see us in what we're wearing? If we answer these questions honestly, we'll be lots closer to what's appropriate than if we just throw on the first cute thing we find.
When we choose our clothing we must think of not only the obvious, like how much skin is showing, but also how tight our clothes are—do they accent our hips and breasts, and can others see through them. (I’m SHOCKED at how many women wear white blouses that expose everything!) Wearing skin-tight or translucent clothing causes men to stumble almost as much as exposing too much—and in some men, it actually arouses them more. It causes them to think thoughts like, “I wonder how she looks without that.”
It’s not enough to simply stand in front of the mirror. Move around a little—take some steps. Act as if you’re sitting or bending over to point to something on a table top. Bend over to pick up something off the floor. Raise an arm over your head. We must also think about what happens in normal every day movements--bending over exposes the chest, reaching up might bare the midriff, sitting down in a skirt exposes *everything* in a short skirt.
Something to think about: if a man is disturbed by the way a woman dresses, what recourse does he have? If the woman is not his wife, you can bet he won't approach the topic. If a single young man sees enough of the Lord in a young lady in spite of her (questionable) clothing choices, he will probably just overlook the issue. A woman shouldn't take this as acceptance of her choices. She's doing him a favor by covering what God has asked us to cover.
I'm speaking from experience with my own sons and our conversations. I've also heard and read the testimony of godly young men who have expressed their gratefulness to young ladies for dressing modestly and not arousing sinful thoughts in them.
The best news is that we don’t have to be frumpy or prim to dress modestly. More and more young ladies with scriptural convictions are stepping out to design cute and even trendy clothing that is also modest.
If you’d like to see what I’m talking about, check out this link: http://www.christa-taylor.com/home. It’s the most recent thing I’ve seen with modest clothing—very cute and trendy and teen looking. I have lots more sites in my sidebar—some more prairie, some more classic, and some more trendy. For brides and attendants, check out http://www.latterdaybride.com/. These work for dances, too.
When we choose our clothing we must think of not only the obvious, like how much skin is showing, but also how tight our clothes are—do they accent our hips and breasts, and can others see through them. (I’m SHOCKED at how many women wear white blouses that expose everything!) Wearing skin-tight or translucent clothing causes men to stumble almost as much as exposing too much—and in some men, it actually arouses them more. It causes them to think thoughts like, “I wonder how she looks without that.”
It’s not enough to simply stand in front of the mirror. Move around a little—take some steps. Act as if you’re sitting or bending over to point to something on a table top. Bend over to pick up something off the floor. Raise an arm over your head. We must also think about what happens in normal every day movements--bending over exposes the chest, reaching up might bare the midriff, sitting down in a skirt exposes *everything* in a short skirt.
Something to think about: if a man is disturbed by the way a woman dresses, what recourse does he have? If the woman is not his wife, you can bet he won't approach the topic. If a single young man sees enough of the Lord in a young lady in spite of her (questionable) clothing choices, he will probably just overlook the issue. A woman shouldn't take this as acceptance of her choices. She's doing him a favor by covering what God has asked us to cover.
I'm speaking from experience with my own sons and our conversations. I've also heard and read the testimony of godly young men who have expressed their gratefulness to young ladies for dressing modestly and not arousing sinful thoughts in them.
The best news is that we don’t have to be frumpy or prim to dress modestly. More and more young ladies with scriptural convictions are stepping out to design cute and even trendy clothing that is also modest.
If you’d like to see what I’m talking about, check out this link: http://www.christa-taylor.com/home. It’s the most recent thing I’ve seen with modest clothing—very cute and trendy and teen looking. I have lots more sites in my sidebar—some more prairie, some more classic, and some more trendy. For brides and attendants, check out http://www.latterdaybride.com/. These work for dances, too.
With all the differing opinions on this issue it will be a benefit for each of us to remember to be loving. "Love does not act unbecomingly, love does not seek it's own..." In our clothing choices and in our discussion of this and every topic, let's love one another.
Note: The photos in this article come from the two websites to which I've provided links. Please check them out. The appearance of these photos on my blog does not necessarily constitute my approval of these particular clothing items AS PRESENTED. These sites have some great things, but using the criteria above may need minor adjustments in order to be modest.
Blessings,
Carmen
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2 comments:
My husband is shocked by the white blouse thing too. It's downright embarrassing when the choir at church is required to wear white blouses and the ladies think that a white blouse necessitates a white bra!
Good post. I'm adding to my SSSSunday meme.
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