Modesty

I promised my sister I would do a post on modesty. So, Jane, this is for you. :) (I am sorry it has taken  me this long to get it posted.)

I have had some conversations lately with some of my friends about modesty. So, I just thought I would share some things. 

When I think of modesty, I think of modest dress. As Christians, we need to dress modestly. We do need to be modest and not cause people to stumble. But there are  other aspects  I have found that also, in my eyes, are considered modesty. 

Modesty - behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency. 

This definition applies to all of what I am going to talk about and I will explain as I go. :) 

Clothes are a big part of our culture. We, as young ladies, are concerned about what we wear, what we look like and what not. We want to make sure that we look good and that we can ‘attract’ guys. I will say that I have fallen into this. I am always concerned about what I look like and what I wear, but I am learning, thru what God has been showing me, that I need not be so concerned about those things. 

Matthew 6:25 -26 (KJV) says: “Therefore I say unto you, Take not thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

God will take care of you. There is nothing to be concerned about. Yes, you still have to take responsibility for getting dressed, doing your hair and all. But, God will make you look beautiful from the inside out. Although, you may want to make sure that you don’t wear polka dots and strips and that your hair is nice, not ragged. :D 

A few weeks ago, my mom, sister and I went to a Mary Kay party.. (for those of you know what it is. :D) I was kinda skeptical at first, but I went and enjoyed myself. Not because I was ‘trying’ new make up products, but because I was with godly friends. As we were talking about taking care of your skin, the mom who hosted the party said that our bodies are the temple of God and that we need to take care of our bodies. When we put on makeup, do our hair and get dressed we are just bringing out what God has already put in us. We are beautiful just as we are. Without makeup and without our hair done. Although, we most likely will look pretty ragged in the world's eyes, we are still beautiful in God’s sight. 

I will tell you that after that I began to relax. You are God’s child and He will always think you are beautiful. 

Okay, I got side tracked. That is not where I was going with this, but it is still important. :) When I think of modesty, I think of higher neckline shirts, not tight pants but long skirts and looser jeans. When I say higher necklines I don’t mean turtle neck shirts. I mean a modest neckline. You may ask, what is considered a modest neckline? 

Well, my definition is something that does not show to much... That is kinda hard in our culture, I know, but I just wear a camisole under the really low shirts. That can always fix your modesty problem. :)

That is one way to stay modest, yes. But there are other things that can keep you modest. These things that I am going to mention are not something that are seen by just looking at a person.

 Purity - You may be thinking, how can this be considered modesty? Well, when I say purity, I mean not flirting and not going after guys. This can also be considered modesty.

Still don't get it do you? *thinks* Let me explain it a little bit more... 

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."  ~ Matthew 5:28


This can also go for us women. As emotional people, we can get emotionally involved with a guy. We can, once we get to know a guy and become friends with him,  easily start pouring out our heart to him. We can also look at a guy and say, "Oh he is cute. I like him." That is how we can commit adultery. By not doing these things, we are keeping ourselves pure and modest. 


From conversations I have had with other young ladies, this is something that every young lady struggles with.  I know I do struggle with it. It is a hard thing to do in this culture. It tells us to follow our feelings and not to follow truth and God.  


At the end of the movie, Two Towers, Sam has a speech that he makes. (You can find it here if you want to see/hear the whole thing) 


"I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something." 


"What are we holding onto, Sam?"

"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."


We, as Christians need to fight for the good. We don't need to be walking around with super tight pants, low shirts, always flirting with every guy we see. We need to be shining the light of Jesus and proclaiming His name. 


"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." ~Matthew 5:14 (KJV)


When we have the light of Jesus in us, we cannot hide it. We should dress, act, think, speak, do, and hear, as if Jesus was right by our side, in person, taking note of everything we do. What would He think of what you wore, or  how you act around guys?