Hello ladies,
I hope you are all enjoying your week; I know this week will be pretty busy for me!
If you were asked what devo topic you've heard more than any other, what would your answer be? I know mine..
I can't even tell you how many devo talks I have sat through about modesty. I'll go out on a limb and say it's probably been at least three talks a year since I was in middle school. The issue of modesty is one I think has been harped on to the point it no longer has an effect on many of us girls. When we hear something enough, it stops pricking our hearts; our minds stop storing it because it's become "excess information."
Fashion trends, as we have all noticed, have walked farther and farther down the "Show As Much Skin As Possible" road. I don't believe that's appropriate. However, if I can be honest, I don't think there's a set standard we're supposed to be living by. I've been told, "To the knee." "Three inches from the knee." "Straps must be two and a half inches thick." "Don't show your back." etc.
Where, exactly, have those guidelines come from? I know it's been said that there's a basis in the Old Testament for these garment specifications. While there are specifications, I don't think they apply here. God did clothe Adam and Eve after they tried to cover themselves up with leaves (Genesis 3). The clothing He made did, in fact, cover up more skin than the leaves would have. However, can't we agree that leaves do not function as clothing? In the sermon on the mount, Jesus told the people not to worry about being clothed because God would provide for them (Matthew 6). Adam and Eve did their best, but they had not made clothing for themselves; they tried to cover up but they couldn't provide for themselves so God provided for them.
Now, I know we're not all Adam and Eve. We have clothing available. But bear with me. If you remember last week's post, entitled "A Heart Problem," I'm trying to get to the why we do things, rather than the standards for the things we do.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 reads as follows: “likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness- with good works" (ESV). Peter is talking in this passage about men's and women's roles within the church, and this is what he has to say about women.
First, Peter says we should adorn ourselves in respectable apparel. In case it needs clarifying, "respectable" means worthy of merit, or regarded by society as something good. More literally, worthy of respect. In our society, there is nothing wrong with showing your ankles off to the world. (I'm tempted to laugh when using that illustration, but there were actually times in history when that would have been forbidden.) I believe it is safe to say we have come to a point in history where knees are not distracting to our peers. There are certain standards that should have been held at one point, but we have safely moved past.
However.
(My favorite word again!)
Society has shifted our standards a little bit, however, let's also consider that our society is run much more by sex and sexual attraction than it has been in the past. Yes, it is more socially acceptable to wear cut off shorts, low-cut tops or bikinis. But it's also more socially acceptable to objectify others or be objectified ourselves. Truthfully, as those things have become more socially acceptable, porn has become much more readily available. In a day and age where rapes and molestations seem to be happening more and more frequently, why are we fighting so hard for the "right" to wear revealing clothing? Why do women complain so much about being objectified, but will clothe themselves as if they were objects for beholding at a glance? To dress respectably, we should each see ourselves as more than a "feast for the eyes." We shouldn't simply fit in with society; we should dress to respect not only our brothers (You've heard the Romans 14:13 argument about not being a stumbling block, or 1 Thessalonians 4 on controlling your body in issues of lust) but to respect ourselves, too.
The word: "modest" has its own definition, believe it or not. As in, "modest" does not simply refer to wearing clothes that cover the right amount of skin. The word modest can be compared to "moderate" or "unassuming." Dressing modestly doesn't refer to covering skin, it actually refers to dressing in a way that does not bring attention to oneself. As Christians, our purpose on Earth should be to bring glory to God our Father; what we wear should bring more glory to God than it brings to ourselves. Paul tells us to "do all to the glory of God," (1 Corinthians 10:31) and I'm willing to say that includes the way we dress. Do our made-up faces, our over-the-top beautiful dresses, or our bright patterned--whatevers really bring glory to God? Sure, in our hearts we may use those things as means to glorify Him. But to those who look at us, they see what we wear and give that glory to us. We get compliments on that particular outfit so we wear it again. We should publicly glorify God so that others see us and recognize our glory is not given to ourselves. That's not to say we are to be showy, but as Christians we are the only example some people will ever have of a follower of Christ and child of God. Don't we want them to see that glory belongs to our God?
Self-control is one thing we may not think about, but man is that a tough characteristic to come by. Here's the thing, ladies. Each one of us likes to look good. We want to be admired for the way we look. We want to be told we're pretty, we want to catch boys' attentions, and we really want to like the way we look. But self-control dictates we step back from that need to compensate insecurities and realize that our insecurities can't be filled with these temporary things. We should recognize that just because we can dress a certain way, doesn't mean we should (You can jump back to 1 Corinthians 10 here, if you'd like to. Verses 23-30, possibly?). We should feel pretty, catch boys' attentions, and like the way we look because we've been made, individually, by God. We are unique, we have personalities of our own, and we can do so much good for other people. We should yearn to be noticed for our actions, for our thoughts and for our love long before we're ever noticed for our looks. Is that not what Peter is getting at in verse 10 of 1 Timothy 2? ("but with what is proper for women who profess godliness- with good works").
"Gold, pearls, and expensive clothing" are kind of a weak point for us, aren't they? But if we sat down in our closets and tallied up how much money we spent on our clothing, would that change our minds? I already talked about modesty, but consider this point from a monetary standpoint. Do we really need several hundred dollars' worth of clothes and accessories? The early Christians were often described as pooling together all their resources to ensure that all people in the community's needs were met. We hoard our clothing, rarely giving to those in need and when we happen to give to those in need we usually give them the least of what we have. Having those expensive things draws a distinction between you and everyone else, and that shouldn't be our goal.
Can you see how big of a heart problem this modesty issue is?
This passage tells me two things: first, the standards for what we wear aren't quite as important as many of us have been lead to believe they are; second, what we wear is more important than what many of us have been lead to believe it is. As I've been trying to hit home, our modesty is not about a checklist. We shouldn't be pulling our rulers out to check the length of our skirts. We should, instead, be testing our hearts to see why we're wearing the clothes we choose to wear. What does wearing this item of clothing do? When we're honest, clothing is made for one purpose: to cover up our bodies. When we start tying our sense of self into what we wear, it becomes very easy for our hearts to fall in the wrong place. We easily stop glorifying God and start glorifying ourselves. Why be modest? Why wear the clothes you do?
Girls, I don't expect anyone to be perfect. This is a topic harped on because it's one we all deal with every single day. I just want for each and every one of you to consider why this matters. Why do you, personally, dress the way you do? What is the reasoning behind it?
When you start answering why questions, you can start fixing heart problems too.
I love you dearly, ladies! May God bless and keep you this week!
Kat
"Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" 1 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV).
