One Simple Truth About Modesty

     "Dressing immodestly is like rolling around in manure. Yes, you'll get attention, but only from pigs." Ah, the issue of modesty. It's the subject of every girl's cabin devotional at Bible camp, and it's discussed in young ladies' Sunday School at least once a year. Wouldn't it just be great if God gave us a specific modesty hand book in the Bible? One that, in detail, let us know what was and wasn't okay for us to wear. There's no step-by-step guide that tells us that skirts have to go to the shin or that sleeves have to go to the elbows, or that anything less of a turtle neck is debauchery. (If that was the case, I think I would just stick to wearing a potato sack everywhere I went.) The thing is, modesty is more than just a hemline. It's an interior decision not to wear anything that would attract vulgar or unnecessary comments or thoughts, because of love for the One who created you. I think that there are many good verses that talk about how we should be presenting ourselves, but there is one verse that really does give us a standard, not only for modesty, but for the way that we should be living in general, and it's found in Micah 6:8. He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of thee? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
     To do justly is talking about a heart that can discern right from wrong. A person who is walking in the Spirit will have that heart of discernment. If we look in the mirror and see a little too much of what shouldn't be seen, we should have the desire to change because we should want to be following the Holy Spirit's guiding. We know from other places in scripture (Romans 12) that our bodies are a living sacrifice unto God and we should use them and all that can flow through them to bring Him honor and glory. Say you had a job as a lawyer and you had a client meeting. Would you show up barefoot, in sweatpants and a cut off tie-dye shirt? No. That would not be representing your law firm nor your skills as a lawyer, and that would probably make the client doubt your abilities to perform. It's the same thing in our Christian life. We are Christ's earthly ambassadors, and the world is our client. We need to be representing Him in what we do as well as what we wear. 
     To love mercy means that we should be showing God's love and mercy to other people. If we know who someone struggles with lust but dress immodestly anyways to provoke them, that is wrong. We should be abstaining from all appearances of evil, so if it seems like our clothing is purposely pushing the limits, it's better off wearing something that covers a bit more. It's not about covering the body to hide it in shame, but revealing your dignity. 
     With modesty comes humility. A lot of girls in today's culture dress in pants too tight, skirts too short, and shirts too low, for the sole purpose of getting guys to look. Should they look? No. But will they? Most probably would. Pride and immodesty go hand in hand. If you're living humbly, you would strive to live a modest life. Not only in dress, but in conduct as well. Dressing immodestly isn't giving guys permission to look, but it isn't restricting them either. We need to be respecting the bodies God gave us, not showing them off to get approval. It's like if a recovering alcoholic was walking past a bar, and although there wasn't a sign that said, "PLEASE COME IN AND FALL INTO SIN!", the door wasn't locked either. When a woman dresses immodestly, it's not that there is a sign on her forehead saying "Please, struggle with lust because of what I'm wearing," but she's not making it very hard for him to turn away either. As Christian women, we need to help our brothers in Christ, not make them dread spending time with us for fear of falling.
     There is no specific "this is modest and this is immodest" manual, but there are certain truths we should be living by. Modesty is about the true character of the woman - there should be a mirror to reflect the heart because that is where true beauty is to be found. 
     So you've read all this, and you're probably wondering, WHERE IS THAT ONE SIMPLE TRUTH? Well, here it is. A WOMAN MUST HAVE HER HEART CHANGED, BEFORE HER CLOTHES EVER WILL. My dear friends, it is so important that we use our bodies to honor God, not to bring unneeded attention to ourselves in a negative way. When you dress modestly, you show respect to your Heavenly Father, AND TO YOURSELF. It's about the heart of a virtuous woman. It may be hard, but it IS possible to live modestly in an immodest world. 

      Stay excellent!