James and I were recently talking about modesty. Every now and then I look back at the purity talks at church when I was younger. Maybe it was just what my heart desired (law) but for some reason the thing that stands out most to me about modesty, is that you don’t want to make your brothers stumble so dress right and only give side hugs. I look back and I don’t remember anybody addressing the real matter of modesty.
It is my belief that you can be the most covered up girl, dress trendy and still have zero modesty. Why? Because modesty is a heart issue. 1 Peter 3: 3-4 says “Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and 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…”
Some questions to consider when it comes to our modesty:
Why do I dress the way I dress?
Does my heart desire attention for the lack of clothing? Why?
Is my heart prideful for how well I cover up my body? Or do I do it for the glory of God?
Do my clothes highlight an issue with materialism? Why?
Do my clothes show my hearts desire for wanting praise of others in…
How trendy I am?
How original I am?
How frugal I am?
The next time you talk to somebody about modesty try to reach the heart. Ask questions and tell them Jesus has clothed us in His perfect righteousness and that is the best type of unfading beauty we will ever receive. The only lasting beauty….
[I don’t think dressing trendy and original is a sin. But from my own experience I know it’s easy to slip into love of self, vanity, desire for praise & glory even when dressing “modestly.” Our heart issues are easy to ignore if we don’t have a deeper understanding of modesty.]
Very good Heather, Very good. You really spoke to my heart on this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, it always comes down to what's in our hearts.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! How we present ourselves, as everything else, can be an act of self glorification or glorifying God. Colors, form, texture, are all elements of art, a sign of Imago Dei, our Creator's image, or finger print on our souls. If we enjoy the gift of creativity in dress, we should be thankful for it, and ought to verbalize that appreciation toward others in sincere compliments of love.
ReplyDelete