Modesty isn’t about hiding your body, it’s about revealing your dignity.
-Jessica Rey
The name of my blog is Modesty Defined. If you really take the time to think about that, it’s a huge claim. You may think, “How can this young girl claim to know what the definition of modesty is for every person on the planet?” I’m writing this post to tell you that I don’t claim that. I only claim what God tells us in His Word. These are simply the reasons I have for my conviction about dressing modestly. I don’t want to pressure or shame you into believing the same way I do, I want to give you the chance to evaluate my conviction to dress modestly and make a decision for yourself. So without further ado, the following are my reasons for dressing modestly:
- Because the Bible says modesty is important
I put this reason first because I believe it is absolutely the most important. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:9-10,
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
How much clearer can you be?? Now, the intention of this verse is not to tell you that you can’t braid your hair or wear pretty jewelry, but the intention is to tell Christian women that they should not dress to draw attention to themselves and their bodies. That’s honestly so hard to do in a world where every new piece of clothing is marketed to get people to notice the shape of your body. You can’t go in to a store to buy a jacket without seeing a scantily clad women on a poster modeling how to wear the jacket with a pair of short-shorts. The world doesn’t see any reason why they shouldn’t “show off” their bodies, but we have a biblical command as daughters of God to dress in a way that is glorifying to God, not distracting from Him. This leads into my second reason.
- Because we should try to glorify God in everything we do
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
We are told in the Bible that we don’t own ourselves. That goes against everything that the world is trying to instill in young girls. The Bible says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” The world says, “It’s your body, do whatever you want with it.” From a very young age, girls are encouraged to wear clothes that make their body look more appealing. I firmly believe that a change in this notion of pushing girls to look good for other people could result in a drastic change in the confidence of young girls all over the world.
It’s proven fact that clothing is related a person’s self-esteem. If you wear an outfit that you really like, it seems obvious that you’ll feel better about yourself than when you’re wearing an outfit that doesn’t fit the best or make you feel the best. It confuses me so much that girls don’t seem to realize that modesty can make you feel the same way. I’ve talked to so many young women that feel so much more self-confident wearing modest clothing than immodest clothing. With wearing clothing that glorifies God comes the realization that you don’t have to try to please man! That’s not to say you should wear a potato sack and never brush your hair, but it’s freeing to a certain extent to know that whatever man may think of you, you’re pleasing your Heavenly Father.
- Because society sees the difference
As I’ve already mentioned, our main focus as daughters of the King should be to glorify Him. The biggest effect of glorifying Jesus is showing others the light of Christ. If the world dresses in a way that draws attention to themselves, it will be very obvious that something is different about you if you don’t.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful enough on its own to reach the world. Don’t think this is me telling you any different. But the Bible says in Mark 16:15,
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Everyone may not be able to reach everybody they come into contact with, but if you dress in a way that is glorifying to God instead of dressing like the world, the impression you give is going to be one that encourages others to try to find out why you’re different. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 that we as Christians are a peculiar people. If the lost people of the world see you as something different, you are much more likely to reach them for Christ.
You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read.
John MacArthur
I try to think of this quote every day. There should be no better motivation to live and dress modestly than the fact that you are the only image of Christ some people will ever see. Are you pleased with that idea, or ashamed of it? It breaks my heart to think that some lost people are on their way to hell just because I haven’t been the picture of Jesus that I should be.
Thanks for reading! Until next time,
Stay modest ladies!
Modesty Defined 