MODESTY

I have recently adopted a much more biblical view on dress/appearance. I feel compelled to dress more modestly and embrace my natural femininity.   1 Peter 3:3-4 says, 

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."


I do not take this to mean that if I wear my wedding ring or ear rings etc. that I am being immodest, but that I should not aim to be flashy and flaunting material riches, when in reality, the riches that matter the most, are the ones that are intangible, or are not easily seen. Such as my love for the Lord, my desire to glorify Him. I would rather draw attention to my countenance, or be noticed for my attitude, than to be noticed because I am dripping in jewels or scantily clad.

Aside from those things, I have a much deeper reason why I have chosen to dress and behave modestly. I see marriages falling apart everywhere I turn. Even some Christian marriages don't outlast the Hollywood hookups. I can't help but to assess why this is happening. There are many, many reasons but, I believe that in America, we have chosen to give in to the flesh completely. We deny ourselves nothing under the sun, and like King Solomon said in Ecclesiates 2, nothing can be gained with this behavior; it is a chasing after the wind.

I began to wonder about the families that were falling apart due to affairs and how plentiful they are now because the flesh is so tempting. Look anywhere and you are certain to find a woman dressed in next to nothing. I certainly don't delight in that because my husband may see that and have to fight possible temptation. I do not want him to be directly, nor indirectly, tempted by another woman. However, with the prevalence of immodesty, I presume he is every day. I constantly pray for his strength to resist and to stay upright in his faithfulness to me and our family. So far, so good!

It is disrespectful to my family and others, that many women carry themselves, in a way that has the extreme potential to make family men stumble. I know that would never want to be the woman that causes a man to break away from his family.

I believe that modesty promotes friendship amongst women. How many times have we seen women half dressed around our husbands and immediately, our guard is up. We may even become defensive because she is a perceived threat. I don't want to make any wife uneasy, but rather, assure her, that I come in peace. 


I never want to be a stumbling block for a man that my be struggling with desires of the flesh. Thus, I have chosen to exercise discretion and carry myself in a way that reduces that possibility.


"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." Proverbs 11:22


Take heed, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!" Matthew 18:6-7 

Yikes! I fear the Word and I keep the above referenced passage close to heart.


Yes, men are responsible for their behavior, but I do believe that the road to unfaithfulness is paved with internal, as well as, external temptation. 
Anyway, that is my two cents on the subject.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for a great post!! Love it and that is very much why I've been wearing modest skirts for the last 2 years. I believe a woman should dress the way she would want other women to be dressed when near her husband. (yes another person wrote that a bit differently but the point is the same and soooo good!) Being a larger woman makes finding modest clothing rather difficult. Most clothes would make me believe that because I am large I should show off my cleavage to everyone. I don't want to do that so I continue to try and find more modest clothing and reduce my size a bit as well as I learn to be moderate with food.

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    1. Thank you for reading! You know, it is difficult for the average woman to feel pretty wearing clothes that are modest and that cover everything, because society feeds us the notion that less is more and that to be attractive; desirable, we need to show a little to get noticed. We also feel like we have to compete with other women who are dressed in next to nothing, so we just dive in.

      Knowing what I know now, I feel very secure in my attire. I have the same problem as you since I am larger on top. Any time I go to buy a shirt, my chest hangs out, in accordance with what is popular. That is very unappealing.

      I believe that, in not conforming to our country's dress standard, I am shining my light and being salt. :-)

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