I will never forget the day when I had a little bit of extra
money in my hands as a college student.
I went to the Fashion Bug department store in Dyersburg, Tennessee and
purchased a skort set. Well you may be
tempted to ask “What is a skort set?”.
Skorts were very popular back in the early to mid 90’s. These sets were made to look like a short
skirt in the front, all the while it was actually a pair of shorts. My desire was to be with the latest fashions
and “what not”. So, I purchased this
outfit and brought it home. Being the
teenager that I was and sure that since I was legally declared an adult, my
mother wouldn’t have any issues with my new fashion purchase. I should have known better. I mean… I was raised by Momma V, as she is so
popularly known now. So in the small
moment in which I lost my mind to even purchase this stuff, I decided to wear
it outside while my mother was gone away from the home. Well, when she returned
she didn’t hold back her thoughts on my latest fashion mishap. Momma would later say, “This mess is TOO
short”. Well, she was right. And of course since I was still living at
home, I dare not argue with her… after all, she is my beloved Mother. All I could remember was “You’re not wearing
that… not in my house”. Enough
said. Well, the skort set ended up in
the garbage… along with my sister’s My Buddy Doll… but that’s another story.
You may be wondering why modesty is so important. Why do a blog on how women dress? Is it really important? Before I answer those questions, let us look
at the definition of the word modest.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, modest is defined as
“having a moderate estimate of oneself; observing the proprieties of dress and
behavior”.
Being modest in your dress means dressing in such a way so
as not to bring shame to the glory
of God, to your husband (if you are married), and to the body of Christ as a
believer in Jesus. In this modesty, we
as women are to dress in such a way as not
to bring attention to ourselves by what we wear. So this explains why I can’t go to the salon
and ask for blue, green, and yellow weave.
NO! First of all, I’m not joining
a circus; secondly, it would bring too much attention to self, which is ungodly
to say the least. Everything that we do,
including what we wear, should glorify God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 states
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory
of God.” (KJV)
Why is dressing modestly so important? Ladies, we all need a checkup from the foot
up every now and then. We need to
examine our wardrobe to see if what we are wearing is glorifying the King. We need to examine ourselves to see if we are
indeed in the faith, and our dress wear as women of God is a big part of this.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (KJV)
Are you a reprobate? If not, then do not dress like
one. As women who belong to Christ Jesus, our conduct should represent Him in
every way.
1 Peter 1:14-17 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to
the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is Holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for
I am holy.’” (ESV)
Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. 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.” (KJV)
The issue of lust and pornography: Okay ladies, let us get serious for a moment
and admit that we have caused a lot of men to fall all because of what we were
wearing. Yes, I place some of that blame
directly on our shoulders… and rightfully so.
Have you been to the local market lately and seen how some women
dress? This is not just limited to the
local market. Women we are often
undressed where it relates to worship on Sundays as well. Ouch!
Matthew 5:28 “But I say
unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.” (KJV)
For the sake of debate, I am not referring to us ladies
wearing skirts that reach down to our toenails.
Nor am I referring to wearing long sleeve shirts when it is 100 degrees
outside. Let us be sensible for a
moment. What
I am referring to is the deliberate use of our bodies in causing others to look
upon us in a lustful manner.
Ladies, we are beautiful. No
doubt about that. But in our beauty, has
it ever occurred to us that our dress wear, short skirts, low cut blouses, and
cleavage showing, may be causing some of our beloved brothers in the faith to
stumble and fall?
The evil one desires to have us “show off” our body: Isn’t this what the evil one desires
most? We see it everywhere: Five easy
tips to get a bigger butt; Twelve steps to having sexy breasts; Six ways to
achieve sexier legs. This trash is
everywhere. So no marvel that Satan is
behind all of this self-promotion. And
no, I’m not against us looking presentable at all. However, we’ve bought into a lie and a trick
of the devil, to make us think that we are to show off our figures, our
bodies. We forgot that we do not belong
to ourselves in the first place (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We forgot that beauty
is ever fading.
Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is
deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be
praised”. (ESV)
Here is the Simple Truth: Our love for the Father and our love for one
another should manifest itself in how we dress.
We are not auditioning for The Next Top Model. This is not “Let’s make a deal.” We should care less about what the world is
doing or how they dress; for the world is dying every day. But we…we are living to please our Heavenly
Father. We live to bring Him glory. It is for Him that we are even alive at this
very moment. After all, the very air we
breathe belongs to Him.
So with regards to being fashionable, be fashionable. Be lovely.
Be elegant. Be
sophisticated. But don’t forget to be
holy. That is our mandate as women of God
first and foremost.
1 Peter 3:3-4 states
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and
of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man
of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (KJV)
Although these passages of Scriptures here are in the
context of marriage, there is a lesson here that should not be overlooked by us
single ladies. And that lesson is: we should not be interested so much in
having others notice us for what we are wearing externally. We should be more
concerned with the hidden man of the heart. Our outward bodies are decaying
away but our inner man is being renewed every day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Lastly, if you are a non-believer, then this post is not for
you. This post is for women who call
upon the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to call us back to holiness,
purity, and modesty in how we dress and what we wear. So after stating all of that, if you are a
Christian and you are offended by this post, REPENT! …as I’m offended by it myself… and I wrote
it.
So what’s a girl to do? Some practical solutions to it all:
Ladies, go throughout your closet. If you have an outfit that does not glorify
God (and only you can determine that with the help of the Holy Spirit), then
throw it out. Do NOT give it away. Why cause another sister to offend someone by
what she wears. Throw it in the
garbage. Side note: should there be
some married ladies who happen upon this post, I have no instructions at all
for you. In this case, you should ask
your husbands. This particular post is
for single ladies; although, I pray that it may be a blessing to married women
as well. Ladies, should you have a blouse that
shows cleavage, to the point where you can clearly see the formation of your
breasts, throw it out… or perhaps you can use it to dust around the house. Lastly ladies, let us pray for one
another. The issue of modesty is an
issue we all are dealing with, including me.
Like I stated earlier, this post offends me… and I’m the writer. So don’t be discouraged. I’m not here to give you five tips on
showcasing your beauty. I’m not here to
bring you under legalism or bondage for that matter either. I’m here to help us all to glorify God in how
we dress and in what we wear. So to that
end, we need to pray for one another ( James 5:16; Colossians 1:9-13). But also in prayer, let us remember that
faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
Therefore, we need to be the women God is calling us to be. Thus, we will live holy and acceptable unto
the Lord, our God. Ladies, are you
ready to pray?
In Christ, our Helper forever: Heavenly Father, I come to You to first
humble myself and to ask You for Your forgiveness of my sins. Father God, I ask for Your forgiveness of
dressing in a way that does not please You nor bring glory to Your Name. Please forgive me for every time that I
caused a man to lust over me in what I wore.
Forgive me for using Your temple, this body, in a manner that did not
please You. I am Your child. I live to bring You praise. Please be my Helper and show me how to bring
honor to You in how I dress and in what I wear.
Let me know the importance of being modest in all things as unto You, my
Heavenly Father. Help me to display
Christ to a lost and dying world, even if it means displaying Christ in how I
dress. To all things be done for Your
glory forever, in Jesus Christ Name.
Amen.
Additional Scriptures to ponder:
Proverbs 11:22; 1 Timothy 2:8-10; Matthew 18:6-7; John 7:24
Proverbs 11:22; 1 Timothy 2:8-10; Matthew 18:6-7; John 7:24
