I have asked my girls many times, "Why do young ladies want to show off their body?" When we fully know the temptation we cause men, wouldn't we want to do everything we can to keep them from stumbling? Recently, Ray and I were out together and in less than ten minutes a woman's short skirt blew up in front of us and another woman's thin strapped shirt was so low I was afraid she'd fall out. We had to walk fast and divert our eyes quickly. The boldness in their immodesty still shocks me.
In our home we don't have a standard that measures dress length or even if we wear only dresses. No Christian can come up with a rule that your shirt must be a certain style or fit in order for you to be godly. We do have a standard to live by, that's Scripture. What does Scripture say about how a woman dresses? I Timothy 2:9 tells of women in church to "in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing." We can dress nicely and stylishly without drawing undue attention to ourselves. It's okay to wear clothing appropriate for the occasion such as (modest) bathing suits at the beach or jeans at the barn. It's even okay to wear bright, fun colors (look at the Proverbs 31:21-22.)
In training our girls to dress modestly we didn't wait until they turned thirteen. It started as soon as they noticed they were wearing clothes. I don't buy anything for the youngest in our household that I wouldn't wear out in public myself. We have certain items that we have bought that each girl knows where it's to be worn (tank tops under shirts or spandex shorts under shorts and skirts.) Scripture gives us examples of women dressing beautifully. Look at Esther and the Proverbs 31 lady. I pray that we would all dress in a way that's honoring to God.
2 comments:
Nicely said, Lori. It seems that many Christian women (of all ages) judge their modesty level relative to the world, rather than scripture. In other words, as long as their clothing is not quite as tight, low, or short as the worldly woman's clothing, they consider it modest. Thanks for reminding us of the correct standard!
This was a very encouraging note I received this morning that I wanted to share. Our girls are certainly not the standard for modesty, but I'm thankful their modesty is recognized by a nine year old.
"One of Matthew’s vocabulary words today was “modest”. It took me a bit off guard. I was not altogether prepared to venture into that area during a Shurley Grammar lesson. The word was completely unknown to him. He had no idea what it meant. The quickest thing I could think of was the 1828 dictionary - - I figured I could work my way through it with a definition from there and then revisit the topic later when I was more prepared. The definition read: Moderate; not excessive or extreme; not extravagant; as a modest request; modest joy; a modest computation, Not bold or forward; as a modest maid.
The concept was still a bit vague for him, so I began to compare and contrast modesty with boldness or forwardness - - trying to gain the attention of others. Finally, to see if the meaning had sunk in with him I asked him if he could think of anyone he knows who is modest, and his answer was, I lie not, “The Rhodes girls”.
I know if I were the mother of 5 young ladies, that would be a high compliment and a tremendous source for giving glory to God. Especially after seeing your blog on the topic, I thought you’d want to know."
Post a Comment