Sometimes I don't understand the way girls dress. The motivation in their to dress the way they do is mind boggling to me. Even girls who know and understand what it means to be a follower of Christ and to be in relationship with him. I suppose I should watch what I say, but in all reality, why do girls dress immodestly?
I've heard it said that what you wear is an expression of what is in your heart. If you're heart is to grab attention, and not care about what you wear might make your brothers stumble, then dressing immodestly makes sense. Simply because your motivation is there. But if a young lady understands how visual guys minds are, they would know better the effects their clothing has.
It's not being legalistic, or putting too many rules on a person. It's understanding the reasons why we dress modestly. God gave us 2 greatest commandments, they were to first, love God with all your heart, soul and mind. The second is to love one another. Loving one another is putting them first, before yourself. The heart behind dressing modestly, is love. Do we love our brothers in Christ more than we love the attention that they could give us if we dress immodestly?
I'll be the first to admit that when we dress a certain way, we get attention, and as girls, we like that attention. But at the same time, we have to understand that that attention is not needed. God loves us for who we are, and he gives us all the attention we need! Isn't it more important to protect our brothers in Christ from stumbling, than it is to gain attention for ourselves? When we put ourselves first, it only brings glory to ourselves. Bringing glory to God is way more important than bringing glory to ourselves. What better way to do that then serving others by the way we dress.
Let's face it, the guy that God has for you, will give you attention even if you're wearing a long skirt and long sleeves. He will love you for who you are, not what you wear. God knows that, and he created it that way for a reason. By dressing and acting modestly, you will not only glorify God, but you will also be serving and loving your brothers in Christ.
Acting modestly is something I forgot to mention early. It's not just what you wear, but how you handle yourself. There can be a girl covered in clothing, but if her actions are portraying something other than modesty, that is just as bad as wearing immodest clothing. But that is also a heart condition.
Being modest may be drilled in your head, and it may be something that you've grown up with, but understanding the heart behind it can make all the difference. When you ask God to reveal his heart to you, he will show you that he wants us to live above reproach. If your heart isn't there yet, then ask him to give you that heart. Ask him to show you what it means to be a modest young woman in Him. You will bring glory to his name, i can guarantee it.
My challenge is for you to better know God's heart in this area, and ask him to give you his heart for it, so you may glorify him in actions and in dress.
Beautifully put Bre. One of the reasons that I give the girls that come in my life to dress modestly is that it protects them. Spiritually and physically. If you dress immodestly you are allowing your body to be seen in a way that is not pure. You are demeaning yourself and saying that who you really are is just a skimpily clad body. The boys who give you attention do not look past your body or what it offers into your mind or personality because you have already set the standard. You are have nothing to offer but your body to someone. It makes you cheap, it does not make the statement that you are confident but self conscious. Therefore the men that pay attention to you for that reason will never be able to have a truly equal relationship with you because you have low standards from the beginning. You allow them to look at everything below your head then expect them to love your mind and care what is in it. They never do. But the man that can only see your face and mind falls in love there and then when after marriage, he has all of you it is a gift and he receives it as a gift and is grateful. If all of you is seen before the right time it is never conveyed as the gift you are. So cover up, you can be stylish and put together with modest clothes and you will outshine the girl that is uncovered because your light comes from within, Christ light of purity and then you get the proper attention, not the impure attention.
ReplyDeleteI tell this to young girls because immodesty is a symptom of all sorts of issues spiritual and family issues, and I try to bring their attention to how self destructive the immodest dressing is to them and their future.