"I can remember an admonition on one occasion, however, when, as a little girl of eight years, arrayed in a new cloak, gorgeous beyond anything I had ever worn before, I stood before my father for his approval. I was much chagrined by his remark that it was a very pretty cloak -- in fact so much prettier than any cloak the other little girls in Sunday school had, that he would advise me to wear my old cloak, which would keep me quite as warm, with the added advantage of not making the other little girls feel badly. I complied with the request but I fear without inner consent, and I certainly was quite without the joy of self-sacrifice as I walked soberly through the village street by the side of my counselor. My mind was busy, however, with the old question eternally suggested by the inequalities of the human lot. Only as we neared the church door did I venture to ask what could be done about it, receiving the reply that it might never be righted so far as clothes went, but that people might be equal in things that mattered much more than clothes, the affairs of education and religion, for instance, which we attended to when we went to school and church and that it was very stupid to wear the sort of clothes that made it harder to have equality even there."
Jane Addams
"Twenty Years at Hull House"
THIS is modesty.
There is a cultural war among churches today on the ideas of modesty. This battle is typically directed toward females for what I believed are justified reasons...
What is modest? Most well-meaning bible scholars unintentionally give a set of rules for defining modesty. Pull your hair back. Wear a long skirt that reaches the ground and if you MUST be bold enough then a skirt that simply goes below the knees will be accepted. Wear a turtleneck. Show no sign that you have breasts. No make-up. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Now, while I do believe there are some basic "rules" to modesty, it truly comes down to each individuals own conviction. Clearly you can't run around naked, but aside from covering yourself in a way publicly appropriate, more important is your heart on the issue. As a woman (speaking for myself), Modesty isn't about wearing a skirt (Which, news flash. Shapely young ladies can appear to have a lack of modesty in skirts as well!), or covering my knees, or wearing a scarf to hide my breasts. It's about making sure I am not creating a problem for the men in my life. For my friends and my colleagues. It is making sure I am not causing them to lust or stumble. Yes ladies, contrary to what you want to believe, even the finest of gentlemen WILL look and they WILL be tempted. It is human nature. It is my job as a woman to prevent that. It's like dangling a steak in front of a lion and expecting him not to pounce. I'm not referencing that women are simply pieces of meat. You are beautiful, enticing, enchanting, and desirable! (Yes, it really is true!) So of course a young man is going to be tempted when you flaunt that beauty in the wrong ways.
I feel like this quote by Jane Addams gets even more to the heart of the issue. Modesty is about making others your equal. About not outshining others or making them feel undignified. It doesn't matter if you are covered from head to toe when it is a $200 three-piece-suit that makes the person standing next to you feel inadequate. Does this mean Christians shouldn't own nice things? Absolutely not. Rejoice in the blessing of having nice things. It simply means rejoicing in a humble manner, without flaunting things around others. "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 (ESV)
Another quote that I feel speaks to the heart of modesty is this: Dress the way you want other women to dress around your husband. If you wouldn't want some young lady galavanting around your man wearing it, then it's likely you shouldn't wear it either.
I challenge you to evaluate your definition of modesty. Are you following a set of generational rules? Or do you have a heart for protecting the men in your life and uplifting the esteem of others?
There is a cultural war among churches today on the ideas of modesty. This battle is typically directed toward females for what I believed are justified reasons...
What is modest? Most well-meaning bible scholars unintentionally give a set of rules for defining modesty. Pull your hair back. Wear a long skirt that reaches the ground and if you MUST be bold enough then a skirt that simply goes below the knees will be accepted. Wear a turtleneck. Show no sign that you have breasts. No make-up. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Now, while I do believe there are some basic "rules" to modesty, it truly comes down to each individuals own conviction. Clearly you can't run around naked, but aside from covering yourself in a way publicly appropriate, more important is your heart on the issue. As a woman (speaking for myself), Modesty isn't about wearing a skirt (Which, news flash. Shapely young ladies can appear to have a lack of modesty in skirts as well!), or covering my knees, or wearing a scarf to hide my breasts. It's about making sure I am not creating a problem for the men in my life. For my friends and my colleagues. It is making sure I am not causing them to lust or stumble. Yes ladies, contrary to what you want to believe, even the finest of gentlemen WILL look and they WILL be tempted. It is human nature. It is my job as a woman to prevent that. It's like dangling a steak in front of a lion and expecting him not to pounce. I'm not referencing that women are simply pieces of meat. You are beautiful, enticing, enchanting, and desirable! (Yes, it really is true!) So of course a young man is going to be tempted when you flaunt that beauty in the wrong ways.
I feel like this quote by Jane Addams gets even more to the heart of the issue. Modesty is about making others your equal. About not outshining others or making them feel undignified. It doesn't matter if you are covered from head to toe when it is a $200 three-piece-suit that makes the person standing next to you feel inadequate. Does this mean Christians shouldn't own nice things? Absolutely not. Rejoice in the blessing of having nice things. It simply means rejoicing in a humble manner, without flaunting things around others. "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 (ESV)
Another quote that I feel speaks to the heart of modesty is this: Dress the way you want other women to dress around your husband. If you wouldn't want some young lady galavanting around your man wearing it, then it's likely you shouldn't wear it either.
I challenge you to evaluate your definition of modesty. Are you following a set of generational rules? Or do you have a heart for protecting the men in your life and uplifting the esteem of others?