Thursday July 10, 2014
I was once that girl. That stuffed those pair of short shorts deep in her bag, walked out the house in an ok modest outfit, knowing quite well as soon as she was at a distance, she would find a way, to put on those way too short shorts. To experience what she felt was temporary,liberating freedom. For me they exemplified my already full thighs and behind at just the age of 13.
Ok so, I only remember doing that one time. Still, it wasn't ok. Quite frankly it was wrong of me to do.
Often times I was bold about my immodest outfits. Wearing shirts that were too low and if peoples eyes directed themselves to my chest, what could I say? It was out there for them to see. So I couldn't say anything. I would wear pants that were way too tight or too short that my entire lower extremities were outlined with nothing left to even imagine. My body, to put it plainly in the clothes I wore, was all out there.
This blog is on modesty, a very lost virtue. It's not on the modesty you may know or have read. It will give you incite on if we HAVE to wear clothes, what types of clothes God truly wants us to wear and appearance he wants us to keep. Modest apparel not only honors God, but shows honor to ourselves so in turn others can respect us.
Proverbs 3:15
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
If no one has ever told you, You are a treasure. A treasure that's more precious than rubies. A treasure of any worth or value is kept hidden and covered. That's how precious you are in the sight of the Lord as a daughter of His. God values his treasures, and therefore He wants to cover us, keep us hidden, and protect what He has made.
"Why does what we wear really matter? It's all about the heart with Christ Janet", you may ask.
1 Corinthians 10
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
The Lord started working on my dressing and appearance very early on in my walk with Him. It was actually within a week of becoming Born Again and surrendering my all to Jesus Christ, I had thrown out all of my pants, most of my makeup(giving this up took a little longer), low tops, and jewelry. Yes, even when I write about it and tell people, I still think this was a little extreme; But I was just listening to God speaking to me through the Holy Spirit and that's why I did it.
A HUGE sin I struggled with before coming into Christ was sexual immorality. Making my boyfriends gods, not obeying Gods words on premarital sex and more. God revealed to me, a huge part of this struggle was how I dressed. I had no problem getting men of all ages to come up to me, because my body sold itself. The tights, jeans, pants that showed every curve from my butt, to my thighs and down, were all, many men needed to be enticed to ask for my number. I remember I would walk home from cheerleading practice in high school, with short tight cheerleading shorts on major streets, and just like you see in movies, men would honk, and some would stop. I am not sharing this story to boost, because to me its not boosting. The men that were coming up to me were no where near Gods standards. Their flesh lead them to pursue me, their flesh is what they wanted to please. You could tell it in their eyes and in their speech all they truely wanted was sex and it didn't matter what age I was. Due to the worlds way of things, many females are flattered by these types of compliments when its consistent and often times will give into these men, I was no different. I choose to wear what I wore. This is the case for many of us females when it comes to immodest apparel, we choose to wear it not wanting to think of the downsides to it.
So I become born again.
God then strips the appetite for sexual immorality from me and revels for me to continue in sexual purity and freedom in Him, I needed to change my wardrobe. I needed to put on what he prescribes for everyone of His precious daughters in
1 Timothy 2:9
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
I had to stop wearing booty shorts, low cut tops, skin tight maxi dresses, immodest pants, tights, jeans that seemed to always rip anyway, see through apparel and everything that I knew couldn't point anyone to Jesus. I got the strong conviction to go back to what God prescribed us woman to wear originally, beautiful skirts and dresses(Deuteronomy 22:5) Look up history and see what women were wearing just 50 years ago, not that long at all. I then had to learn how to dress in this new fashion. So I prayed earnestly that the Lord would help me dress to please Him. That God would help keep my body hidden for His eyes only and for my future husbands eyes only. For God to not allow men that didn't deserve any part of me to come up to me. God heard my prayers and lead my now best friend into my life to encourage and teach me. She just happens to have a blog entitled modestic-elegance, all about modesty, which she has maintained for years now!( Love you Charity) Everywhere I go, people can tell I am different and peculiar. People come up to me and say you are the only female I have seen dress this way, that carefully covers her nakedness. People off the bat see the difference and when I speak as well they see the light of Christ truly resides in me.
Aside from my personal experience. God calls each and every one of His children to be modest. He knew exactly what he was doing, when he wrote that scripture. He tells us further in the bible that our body was made by him, therefore its His temple so what we wear must be ok with him. What we wear must cover our most intimate parts properly.What we wear must bring honor to Him and should point back to the heavens. Everyday, I include God in my outfit choice.I pray and check in with the spirit. "Is this outfit ok Lord? Is it too tight? Is it too revealing?" God always answers. Personally, I've had to take off somethings, or layer somethings while dressing, to the point my the Holy spirit will say "ok Janet you can leave the house now."
Modesty, is a lost virtue.
I threw out all my jewelry.Even the ones my boyfriend at the time gave me. I understood what was meant by diamonds are a girls best friend when I would get a piece of jewelry I would never have bought myself. But I just gave my life to Christ and I was now acknowledging because He died on the cross and gave me salvation, a new life, He was my all. That nothing could ever make me happier than Him.He started to show me, how He made me was beautiful the way I was, naturally. The hair that grew on my head, the skin and color He gave me, the full lips, and the ears without any piercings, was the way He wanted me to be. He showed me I was made in His own image.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
He later, helped me understand how jewelry, along with anything that is highly esteemed over God, can become an idol. He makes this very known in Exodus 32 , where the Israelite are looking for a god to worship and therefore use jewelry which is presumed to be of high value to make a god. I saw in myself that I was getting way too consumed with the world's marketing on how I should look. That, those pieces of jewelry, or those pieces of weave was what would make me be the woman I ought to be. But rather Jesus made me the woman I was to be when he created me in the womb and when he died on the cross for me. God broke me down, stripped me of the world's idea of beauty and allowed me to own who I was naturally. This act comes with a conviction from God only. As woman, modesty calls us to not be dripping from bling to bling, calling attention to us in that way. Modesty calls us to know our jewels truly come from within and that our adorning of ourselves should come from our hearts.
When we die, whats going to leave this earth with us? Our jewelry? No! Nothing except our souls. You are truly beautiful just the way you are. That is modesty.
Modesty is truly a very lost virtue in our generation. God has so many practical tips on what He wants us woman to do in His words. A lot of women are receiving attacks in their academics, work life, spiritual life, marital life, family life, and relationships due to their immodest apparel, their standard of beauty that comes from this world, and true lack of peace of the beauty God gave them originally.It's only if we, only if you beautiful sister could see how beautiful and precious you are to God; so you can keep your treasure, your body from your feet to your head well covered.
Some Really Practical Modesty tips:
1. If you have trouble getting into it or out of it, it is probably not modest.
2.If you have to be careful when you sit down or bend over, it is probably not modest.
3.If people look at any part of your body before looking at your face, it is probably not modest.
4.If you can see your most private body parts or an outline of those parts under the fabric, it is probably not modest.
If you don't know Jesus and you are finding yourself stuck in admiring the fashions of this world, you are tired of how the fashion and urban models and pop stars portray themselves, I am inviting you to accept Christ into your heart. You just need to confess your sins, invite Christ in, and believe He is your Lord and savior. Once you start reading the bible, God will give you more knowledge and wisdom as it pertains to modesty. Modesty is a virtue that can truly be regain!
I love you and I am praying for you.
From your Sister in Christ ,
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