Modesty

                       The bible calls women to be modest in their actions and their dress. In today’s society it is the norm to reveal a lot of skin and provoke the opposite sex to have lustful feelings. The bible, however, calls women to be modest in their actions and their dress. All too often I seen females of all ages walking into church with a pair of super short shorts, face caked with make-up,  and tight low cut shirts. But God wants us to be more modest so that the world can truly see or purity and we won’t lead others into sin.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as

braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine

clothes. Instead, it should be that of you inner self, the unfading beauty of

a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

-1 Peter 3:3-4

“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency

and propriety, not with braided hair or gold

or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate

for women who profess to worship God.”

-1 Timothy 2:9-10

                What is modesty? Modesty is freedom from vanity and boastfulness with regard for decency of behavior speech, and dress. It is simplicity designed to prevent inadvertent exposure of parts of the body. It’s having a reserved behaving and making proper and responsible choices and being humble in spirit about what you have been blessed with. What is there to be boastful about? If a girl knows she is pretty, she should not try to draw further attention to herself.

                The bible is not saying to walk around in a cloth sack and not fix your hair. It is saying, first, that true beauty is inner beauty. Personality. Character. Attitude. You can still be beautiful while dressing modestly.  Beauty doesn’t mean wearing tight pants, short skirts, and low cut shirts. If you want to wear make-up, go for natural shades and put it on light. You can wear a fashionable but loose blouse with a neckline that doesn’t reveal cleavage. You can wear nice, flowing skirts that go down to your knees and accentuate your femininity. You may say that you’re covered up but your clothes are tight. You’re allowing others to imagine what’s underneath that clothing. When the opposite sex looks at you when you’re not dressing modestly, they are most likely looking at you with lust. If that happens, they are already committing adultery.

“But, I say to you, that whoever looks at a woman to

lust after her committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

-Matthew 5:28

                Therefore, if we dress inappropriately, we are leading someone to sin. The Bible tells us that we, as believers in Christ who have dedicated our lives to Him, are not to lead others into sin. I

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does

not become a stumbling block to the weak.”

-1 Corinthians 8:9

                Proverbs 11:22 says that a beautiful woman that shows no discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. If a “ring of gold” is put in a pig’s nose, it wouldn’t be seen as pretty because of the filth that most pigs live in. No matter how pretty a woman is, she will quickly lose that beauty because of her lack of modesty, humility, responsibility, and integrity. She is abusing the beauty that God bestowed upon her by having no discretion.

                It’s not all about getting the attention of males, but some females want to be attractive to guys. They turn to dressing with tight and revealing clothes to fit in with everyone else. It's not all about finding a relationship but it is thrown in young people's faces by society so it's important to be discussed. You shouldn’t be focused on what others think of you, but if you are curious, I’d like to let you know about some survey results. I want to help steer you away from dressing indecently.  Is modesty a lost cause? No. According to a survey, the majority of men would be more interested in a girl who dresses modestly.

-          97.4% of guys say that girls can dress attractively without being immodest.

-          91.5% of guys say despite rampant immodesty all around us, girls who choose to dress modestly do make a difference.

-          95.4% of guys say that modesty is an important quality for their future wife to have.

-          75.6% of guys say that they have less respect for an immodest girl than for a modest one.

                So show some more self-respect and cover up. Show maturity and care for your body. If someone is attracted to your body, then they’re most likely not attracted to you. A lot of guys look to girls just for their outward appearance and that’s not what relationships should be based on; they’re not based on love and they won’t last. Also, many people judge you based on your physical appearance. If you dress “sexy” you must be sexual. This may not be the truth but it’s an assumption that many guys make. A lot of girls who expose too much get mad when a boy looks at them and stares. What I’d like to say to them is if you don’t like being looked at in a demeaning way, don’t dress without modesty. You’ll be seen as just an object and not respected for who you really are. If a boy looks at you and you’re dressing modestly, then he is most likely looking at you for your true beauty. So, don’t send the wrong message and carry yourself as light for God. You are supposed to be His temple so show some respect to Him.

“Don’t let anyone look down upon you because you are young,

but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

-Timothy 4:12

                            Most importantly, we need to impress God. According to 1 Samuel we need not worry about outward appearance. We shouldn’t be worried about what people think here on earth. We need to focus on our everlasting life and where we’ll end up when we’re dead.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for

I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things

people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

-1 Samuel 16:7