Modesty is a touchy subject. However, it is a subject that needs desperately to be touched on. Many people equate modesty with looking frumpy and dull. Others think of modesty as a set of legalistic rules. True modesty is neither. True modesty begins with a modest heart. If your heart is truly modest, then a desire to dress modestly will spring forth from that.
Modesty has a lot to do with guardianship. Guarding our bodies, guarding our hearts, and in part, guarding the hearts of our brothers in Christ. We guard our bodies by saving what is intimate only for our husbands (or our future husbands); as opposed to flaunting what we've got. We guard our hearts by acting in a modest manner; as opposed to being flirtatious or beguiling. We guard our brother's hearts by not luring them into thinking impure thoughts; as opposed to being a stumbling block by the way we dress.
This last statement is the one I am going to focus on here. Men--good men--appreciate modesty. In their own words they state:
"For those of you trying to be modest, thank you, thank you, thank you! I certainly notice it and am grateful for it. For those of you who aren't sure about modesty, it is hard enough for us guys as it is; please don't make it harder."
"When a girl dresses modestly, it helps to cut down on temptation drastically. Physical purity for guys is just as hard as emotional purity is for girls. Modesty actually makes a girl more beautiful because it shows where her heart is before God."
"As a Christian guy, modesty is SO attractive. I don't mean attractive in a lustful way, but that to see a girl living out God's standards in her life really is beautiful. And you have no idea just how much you would be helping your Christian brothers by being modest. We're not trying to blame you for our impurity, that's between us and God, but you can do so much to encourage and help us in our battle by being modest."
So what is modesty? It's clear that it isn't merely covering a certain number of square inches, but there surely must be some guidelines. For me, if I feel fidgety or self-conscious in something, if it feels uncomfortably tight or short or low, if it draws to much attention to areas that should not draw attention, I consider it immodest. Each day I stand in front of my full length mirror and say to myself, "If I were a guy seeing a girl wearing this, would I stumble?" I ask this question of myself several times. There have been times when I answered yes, so I changed. My goal is to honor God by not causing my brothers in Christ to stumble in their walk with Him.
You can find several more articles pertaining to modesty here, here, and here.
Some scriptures to read and consider would be 1 Peter 3:3, Proverbs 31:30, and 1 Timothy 2:9.
Sincerely,
Miss S.
Note: All quotes in italics are taken from the Rebelution's Modesty Survey. A resource that I HIGHLY recommend.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think modesty is very important and I'm encouraged when I see other girls out there trying to glorify God in the way they dress. Sometimes I feel like such a small minority. Thank you!
Heather
I think this was written so well. Thank you. :) I just told a friend that if you are modest and feminine inwardly then it will show outwardly.
ReplyDeleteI would love to feature this article on the Feelin Feminine site, could I have your permission to do so? I would gladly give your due credit and link you so others can come here to read the comments. :)lmk
Blessings!
Jocelyn,
ReplyDeleteYou may most certainly post it on Feelin' Feminine! I would be honored. Thank you for asking.
-Miss S.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt always encourages me to see other young women who strongly believe in biblical modesty. Thanks!
--Mia
How exciting to see so many articles on modesty these days! Way to go, girls!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments on our blog! We've been having a few technical difficulties lately, but soon we hope to be back full-blown!
Blessings!