The Reason To Dress Modestly

And it isn't what you think!

I get it! Men (and boys) are visual. They see an immodestly dressed female and they lust. Well, not all men jump straight to lust, but in the Christian culture, that's the message that is put out there. All men see immodesty and immediately start lusting. Poor men, they just can't help themselves, so we women have all the responsibility to protect them from themselves. Notice the sarcasm? I know this is a problem and we need to recognize the problem, but I think we've gone over board with that line of thinking.

Besides, I have a news flash! Some girls are visual too, they may struggle with lust as much as men. But there aren't hundreds of blogs dedicated to telling men to cover their chests. Other than a few lone speakers, I rarely hear the message that some women think lustful thoughts when they see a handsome man showing off his carved chest. So men and boys, for the sake of your "sisters in Christ," cover up please!

Back to the reason to dress modestly....

Dressing modestly isn't about your "brother in Christ." It's about God! When you have a heart to honor God, you will want to please Him in every area, including your clothes.

It is a female's responsibility to do what she should to protect her "brother," but please, that "brother" isn't who she is dressing for.

When a girl gets dressed for the day, I can assure you that if her first thoughts are to be pleasing to God, then her clothing will reflect that.  Having a hemline measure is fine. A guide to go by helps to maintain the standard at a particular place, but it certainly has nothing to do with the heart.

Some of my girls balk at any discussion of modesty because the conversion has gone so over board. (yes, I know, their heart issue) They aren't hearing anything about girls' hearts. They just hear, "protect those poor guys who can't help themselves."

Lately, I'm trying to come up with a response to the girls when they moan about not being able to wear certain things. They want to discuss how it isn't fair that they can't wear what they think is a "cute" outfit because it might cause someone to stumble. My response to that, "Life isn't fair." But I want them to think more than about justice. I want them to think about honoring God.

If their line of thinking goes straight to, "Does this honor God?" Then, they never have to think about whether it's immodest or displeasing to someone else. And.... it comes back to the heart. What's in the heart is what they will be thinking.