I think as girls we all love clothes in our own way. Some of us are more into it than others, but overall, we like clothes. The clothes magazines are fun to flip through and to get ideas on how to improve our wardrobes.
Unfortunately, the styles are getting worse for us girls who are trying to stay modest. Everything, it seems, is either getting lower or shorter. What makes it worse is that they make the clothes look so cute. So, what does the Bible say about modesty?
In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 it tells us, "9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decensy and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." (NIV)
Now verse 9 can be confusing. Paul isn't saying that we should go around with a potato sack and show our beauty through our good deeds (verse 10), but instead we are much more beautiful if we dress modestly than if we give in to the world's way of dressing. We are also so much more beautiful through the good things we do and our hearts for Christ. In the International Standard Version verse 9 it states it this way, which pretty much sums it all up, "Women, for their part, should display their beauty by dressing modestly and decently in appropriate clothes, not by braiding their hair or by wearing gold, pearls, or expensive clothes,".
So, Paul's basic message out of these verses is that we should not think that braiding our hair or wearing jewelry makes us beautiful because just dressing modestly and living for Christ gives us the greatest beauty anyone could ever have.
I really like what verse 10 says (look back if you need to). What are our clothes saying about us? Do your clothes say, "I care about myself and I'm living for the Lord" or "I care way too much about looking gorgeous and being accepted by the world"?
Staying modest is hard to do in today's society. But it is possible. It's just a little harder to find clothes. Just throwing a cute tank under a shirt that comes a little low or a pair of leggings under a little, too short of a skirt is dressing modestly and looking nice. I mean, you don't have to look like a hillbilly. You can be modest and still look cute at the same time. Trust me, it's possible.
One last note, modesty really help the guys out a lot. They (I'm really talking more about the Christian guys because I don't think the non-Christian guys have a problem with it) are really appreciative when girls dress modestly because they have a whole lot harder time controlling their thoughts when a girl dresses immodestly where as a girl probably just thinks,"Gross!" when a guy's pants are down too far. So, girls, please dress modestly because not only are you respecting God and guys, but you're respecting yourself also.
Challenge!
Go through your closet this week and see if there's anything you need to get rid of that is too tight, too short, or too low. And if there are any of these things, can you use them in a way that you can still wear them, but still look modest? (ex. putting a leggings under a skirt, a top underneath a low neckline shirt, etc.)
Prayer
-that I can have the courage to stand up against peer pressure and the world's ways to shine Christ's light through my clothes
