Is Modesty The Best Policy?

Hello Everyone!

    Lately a thing I have observed throughout the Christian community is a strive for modesty. Not only do I believe that modesty is an important thing and that we should dress in an honorable way, but I believe that we should act this out on a daily basis. But there is one thing that I have noticed, that I think is definitely not okay.

    From an early age, we have been told that modesty is the best policy. That is a noble goal and one not to be taken lightly. The way it has been implanted into young girls minds though, is that their bodies are something to be ashamed of. I can bet we've all had the talk about how women are stumbling blocks to the men around them and that because  said men have a strong sex drive, we should be careful about how we dress.

    This is true, but this is also not giving enough credit to guys out there. The problem with this statement is that our brothers in Christ, while still having that mindset, also have self control. A lot of times, the male side of this is overlooked, but I did really quickly want to touch on it. I believe that males have amazing minds that can create wonderful things and that statements like these undermine them and diminishes our brothers to nothing more than animals.

    I could go on and on about how I believe that men should also watch themselves and what they are focusing on, but that is not what I wanted to spend most of this post on. My problem, is with the way modesty is approached. As women, we are told that our bodies create sexual thoughts in males and that it should be hidden and concealed. I believe that this causes body shaming in young girls. If they are taught that their bodies are a bad thing, that causes insecurity and uncertainty for young women.

    There are things that people don't always get to decide, like how our bodies grow or where our bodies grow. I think that it's awful that young developing women are told that their bodies are something to be ashamed of. God created women and he made us beautiful. We are so different from males, not only in the physical sense but in the emotional and spiritual sense. We are formed by a God who does not make any mistakes. Every curve, every inch, he meticulously designed and brings him pride. 

    I believe that modesty should be approached in a way that encourage women, rather than demeaning them. We should look at modesty as a healthy thing for girls to learn, and teach them that they are beautiful no matter what they wear, because they have a Father in Heaven who knows what he is doing. Modesty shouldn't be something that we dread, but something that we embrace, not only for our male counterparts, but for ourselves. 

    Self respect is a big issue for many women. We see celebrities on magazine covers who appear to be perfect in their low cut tops or short skirts and dresses. We are told that that is the standard of beauty, and if you don't fit that standard, then you aren't beautiful. Here's the thing, YOU ARE!! Modesty should increase the respect we have for our bodies, by knowing that we are choosing to honor the temple of the Lord. 

    At the end of the day, I'd like modesty to not be about guys. It is about girls respecting themselves enough to know that their beauty does not come from what they wear or how they look, but that it comes from their heart, as cheesy as that sounds. Its about girls knowing that they don't have to dress in short shorts or skinny jeans to get guys attention, because they right guy shouldn't honestly care too much about the outward appearances. Whole other topic. 

    As a woman, it's important for me to be able to love the body that God has put me in and to know that my beauty is found in Him. He made me to bring glory and honor to him with my life in the form that he knit together and had planned before the world began. He created the celestial bodies above and he formed the my body just as intricately.

    Don't think that I'm not a fan of modesty, because I am and I think it is important. I'd love to see it change in a way that encourages women to respect their bodies, rather than viewing them as 

something that needs to be hidden.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." -

1 Corinthians 6:19

 "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—  but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable

beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."- 1 Peter 3:3-4

"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”- 1 Samuel 16:7

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."- 1 Corinthians 10:31

     These verse are my favorite when it comes to modesty. They talk about modesty in way that doesn't condemn the wonder that is the human body, but to strive to respect it. That is the difference. 

    1 Corinthians 6 address that we are the handiwork of an all powerful God and we should glorify his workmanship. That is an amazing thing to teach young women! Because your body is a precious thing that should not be taken for granted, you should dress in a way that honors God. In this way it's a sort of thank you to our amazing God for creating us the way we are.

   1 Samuel 16 talks about how we should take care for our spiritual self and bettering that, rather than focusing just on our outward appearance. Another important thing for girls who are constantly bombarded by models of the "ideal" beauty to know. That what matters most in this world is not human approval; that the Lord of Heaven takes the greatest delight in a pure heart that is gentle and has a quiet spirit.

    And lets definitely not forget 1 Corinthians 10 where the body of Christ is demanded to bring honor to God in everything we set our mind to. Including the way we dress. Women should dress to bring honor to God with their bodies that he painstakingly etched into being. It's not just to protect the men in our lives, it is to respect ourselves and to focus more on our spiritual life then on our social life.

    God has created each of us so uniquely and intricately. He knows everything about us and created us to be just the way we are, whether is 5'1 and 130 lbs or 6'0 and 200. Honestly, we should honor God in everything, through our actions and the way we treat each other. So let's make modesty a way to bring  honor to God and teach women to respect themselves enough to know that the latest fades don't dictate what is truly beautiful. I think that if we approach modesty in such a way, it will gives girls a deeper value for the bodies God has given them. Modesty is not something that should make women feel ashamed about themselves, but something that creates higher self esteem, and greater love for our design.

Have an amazing and blessed day and know that your Father loves you in an incomprehensible way,
Grace