Let’s Talk Modesty!

Uh. I started and deleted this post three times already. Let’s just get this done.

• We Are the Church. Dress like you are going to church. Dress like you are going to dinner at the pastor’s house. Dress like Jesus will appear at any moment. Because He will. And guess what? We are the Bride. We shouldn’t be dressing in a way that will make Jesus cringe. Dress in something that you would feel glad to have Jesus take your hand, smile, and lead you up the stairs to heaven.
• Boys Are Different. Boys were built differently than we as girls have been built. They are attracted to girls. When a girl dresses immodestly she exposes boys to temptations in thoughts and desires. Boys can and should control their thoughts, but it is a battle for them every time.
• Girls Lose so Little When Compared to The Battle. Boys battle with temptations all the time. And partly it’s our fault. If we girls dressed modestly that temptation would be cut in half! How sad it is that boys are not safe from that exposer at Church or among other Christian friends. How sad it is that girls complain of the injustice of it all that we have to keep our bodies covered when it’s the boys who have problems. Boys do not have problems! They are uniquely built differently then girls. But when you look at it, what are we really loosing by keeping those sleeves on? What are we really loosing when we choose to keep our thighs covered? In God’s light, what are we as girls sacrificing for the sake of a boy’s clean mind on our account? Nothing. Nothing at all.
• It’s Not a Problem. Boys aren’t born with lust burned into their brains. They are naturally created to be attracted to a girl’s body. But note this, that body was intended to be the boy’s wife’s body. Girls now a day’s dress so badly that boys see things they should only see at home. And that is the issue. Not the attraction, the lust induced by girls that are not his wife.
• Called to Guard Their Minds. Boys are our brothers in Christ. How sad it is that their sisters are not willing to cover themselves to keep the brothers’ minds. How easy it is for us to wear that tank-top compared to the constant battle they will struggle with if they see your bra outline. These are just examples. Girls, personally I don’t want to have to answer for a brother’s lustful thought that I could have stopped. We have the power to help them SO MUCH. Of course there will be those that couldn’t care less it you were wearing a bikini or a Quakers dress. But for those brothers who honestly want to stay pure, let’s make an effort NOT to tempt them.
• For Our Husbands. We have husbands (Some of us have them now, some of us will in the future). Some of us will be called to a life of single-hood which is blessed in it’s own way, but most of us girls will marry. After all we were created for a help-meet for the man. What do you want your husband to be most attracted to when he first meets you? Do you want him to notice your short shorts? Your hanging sleeve and bare shoulder? Cloths flirts, and you may not do it with your words, but your cloths says a lot to a boy. Personally I pray that my future husband will be first attracted to my love for Jesus. I don’t want to distract him with my cloths, with my body. And I don’t want to offer samples to men that will never be my spouse.
• Glorify God. I want my conversation and my behavior, my character, my attitude, I want it all to glorify God. Notice in Acts, the Christians were called Christians. They didn’t call themselves that. The strangers and unsaved of the city named them. Their lifestyles and attitudes towards each other were so Christ like that they were called “Little Christs.” When the world looks at the way you are dressing, are they noticing anything different between you and the every-day run-of-the-mill popular girl from school? Can they call you a Christian? Honestly it should be so visible in our lives that we shouldn’t have to tell people we are Christians.

Wow, that turned out longer than I thought. But I want to clear up a few things first.

Modesty does not mean dress like a Quaker. Pray about your standards. Approach everything you wear from the point of view of the man you most respect. What would he think of what you are wearing? Ask your dad before you buy a shirt, if the back is too open, or if those shorts are maybe just a bit too short. Trust me, God will reward you for looking out for your brothers. And whatever inconveniences you have to deal with because of your modesty, count it all joy, because it glorifies your Father in Heaven.

So long girls. I hope it gave you something to think about this week. Pray about it, and understand that guys and girls struggle with different things it life. That’s just how we were built. We should work together so that we can glorify God.

~B.R.B.