Modesty: It's Not Just About the Clothes

Blogger and longtime GFG reader Rebekah shares her thoughts on the importance of modesty -- inside and out.

Modesty. It’s a word that gets a lot of hate. It is really misunderstood. But just what is modesty? What does it mean to be ‘modest’? People will answer this question differently; they will answer it according to their own beliefs.

For example, a more conservative person may answer with...

“Modesty is wearing clothes that are less revealing.”

“Modesty means that you dress the way the God wants.”

“It really matters what you are wearing!”

 

A less conservative person might answer with this...

“Modesty means not wearing things like short shorts or crop tops.”

“God doesn’t care about the clothes!”

“Modesty is more about the heart of it that the actual clothes.”

 What if I told you that both are wrong? And both are right? What would you think? Will you stop reading this? Will you think that I am crazy? Well, whatever you think or feel, please don’t stop reading this. Just hear me out! As the title of this post says – Modesty is not just about the clothes. BUT make no mistake; the clothes are a big part in being modest. I may be confusing you right now but my goal is that by the end of this you will be better informed on modesty and if you need to, you will make the change to be a better.

How many times have you gone to a public place and seen a girl/woman dressed immodestly? How many times have you prayed that these girls and woman would respect themselves more? Dressing modestly in today’s world seems hard and frankly, frowned upon. As Christian girls/women we have a duty. We have a calling straight from God to teach the younger ladies on the right and correct things. (Titus 2:1-5) We have the power to dress and act modestly to show our fellow ladies that it is not only possible, but also quite easy and very fashionable! (No frumpiness is needed, nor will it be allowed!) Oh, hold on, did I just say dress and act modestly? So not only do we have dress modestly, we also have to act modestly too? But just how do we go about doing that? Well, let me explain.

Romans 12:2 states –“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This verse is saying that we are not to cave in and believe (or accept) something that God has plainly said no to. Modesty is one of those things. The world, and even some Christians, are proclaiming that ‘less is more’ in the case of clothing. They are saying that less clothes equals more attention. But my beautiful ladies, the attention that it brings is not what you want. Nor is it any good.

Here is an example of dressing modestly but not acting it.

‘Mary’ is a wonderful girl; she is active in her church and youth group. She has strict parents that only allow her to wear very loose pants, skirts or dresses and at least a t-shirt length sleeve and the neckline has to be high enough that the breasts cannot be seen. Her parents want her to be a virtuous young lady who respects herself. Mary’s parents want her to be a good example to other young ladies. But such is not the case. Mary may look the part of a modest young lady but the way she acts proves other wise. She is a flirt and she carries herself in a ‘sexy’ manner.

Does this story sound familiar? Do you know of a young lady that acts like this? Or perhaps, is this you? The reason why I stress this issue is because this was me. Bad things happened because of the way that I acted. Now, to be honest, the standards that Mary’s parents set for her do work for some young ladies. I am not saying that they are bad, if that is what your mother and father want, and so, that is what goes. I have friends that dress differently than I do, but the way that they act is more modest that ‘Mary’ is.

I’m not here to say that certain types of clothing are immodest. Although without a doubt there are some. But what you decide is immodest is up to you, your parents and God. What I am here to say is that as Christians we have to set an example to our fellow young ladies. We are not supposed to be just women, but ladies. Classy and not trashy!

I really hope that this has helped you. I'm so honoured to be guest posting here at Girls For God today. My name is Rebekah, and I blog over at beautifulapostale.wordpress.com.  My Passions are beauty, fashion, photography and writing. I love Jesus Christ more than anything. I want to thank Melissa for this awesome opportunity. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at beautifulapostale@gmail.com God bless you all! Xoxo :)