Last night my oldest kept me company as I ran several errands...grocery store, dollar store to get stuff for a little boy's circus-themed party, Kohl's to look for some clothes for another child who never seems to have anything that matches (this happens often when you get lots of wonderful hand-me-downs! Cute pieces here and there, but not necessarily cute pieces that go together.) We had fun looking through the girls' clothes together. This morning she came to me asking if it was okay to wear bright colors and shiny accessories. We had a great talk on modesty and moderation. I love having a young lady in the house, and it's so exciting to see the Lord's work in her heart, making her sensitive to spiritual things.
I shared with Keely that I always thought of immodesty as wearing too-tight or revealing clothes that highlight a certain body part, which certainly qualify as immodest. But, more recently, I've come to realize that immodesty springs from a heart that wants to be noticed; that wants 'all eyes on me'. This is ground where few dare to tread for fear of being called a legalist. And, I don't think the answer is in saying, as some well-meaning Christian Bible study materials do, that you should never wear anything brightly colored or shiny or trendy. But I do think we women could all take a hard look at the clothes in our closet and ask the Lord to help us evaluate them honestly. Biblically. Not in a relative sense, as in "my clothes are more/less modest than so-and-so's." And I'm not excluding myself, here. There are a couple of things in my closet right now that my conscience has been whispering to me about. Jeans that would fit looser when I lose five more pounds, but nevertheless am wearing anyway.
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Are you ready to prayerfully consider the modesty of your heart?
3 comments:
This is something that I struggle with, too, especially since I am young (25). There are definetely things in my closet that I wear that scream, 'look at me'. Sparkly shirts, tight jeans, big bangles and necklaces, tight shirts. I have been convicted lately that I need to tone down a few things and wear looser clothing, and this was just confirmation!
Great post.
Good thoughts, Candice. Talking about modesty of the heart isn't legalistic. Jesus said from the heart, not your clothing, comes greed, lust, etc. Ironically, if we had modest hearts we wouldn't need clothing! It would be legalistic if we thought we could have a modest heart if we could have a modest wardrobe (I'm not implying that you meant that in your post, just giving my 2 cents). Only Jesus cleanses our wicked hearts-hearts that seek to exalt ourselves above Him and others, hearts that covet others' looks, hearts that commit adultery when they want men to view them as sexually desirable. Yes, we should get rid of the clothes that cause us or others to stumble. But we must continually be repenting and receiving His forgiveness. For that is to "put on Christ".
I really appreciate your thoughts on this! I remember when I first became a Christian, going through my closet and getting rid of all the immodest pieces I owned. At the end, I felt like all I had were t-shirts. Even now, I often feel self-conscience about a few pieces because, while they are modest at first, once I'm holding my son and he's pulling on my shirt, all physical modesty is gone.
But its good to think on these things, and think on them often. God calls us to modesty in His word, not just for our own sake, but for the sakes of our Christian brothers and sisters, and also the sake of unbelievers. The fruit of our faith needs to stretch beyond just actions, and make us over (heart, mind, body, and soul).
Thanks for the food for thought!
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