What is modesty and why should I be modest?

2.07.2015

Note: If you wear the jewelry or clothes that I talk against, I want you to know that all opinions are what I believe and I don't want anyone to think I am hating against the way the dress. Thank you.

Before I start I just want to say that I have been sick all last week and I have had an awful ear infection all this week and I haven't slept a full night lately and I actually was up from 2:47-6:00 because my ear ached so bad! This is why I have been gone.

  I have done a post before about modesty  but it was very short and I thought I should recap my beliefs.

The first point I would like to go over is;

Why be modest?
Why should I be modest?
"I don't think my chest hanging out is immodest"
"Those pants make me look "sexy"  why are they bad?"
"I feel more confident in that mini dress"
"That black shadow and red lip stick makes me look kissable"

These are only four of many things people say now in days in a defense against immodesty.
They think that men find them utterly irresistible.
This is wrong.
Only worldly perverted men feel this way.
If you would like to know what guys think about modesty click here.
She goes through a list of quotes taken from real men about the subject.
My favorite is this one:
Modesty just makes me more comfortable around girls. I don’t have to guard my thoughts or actions. I can truly respect the beauty of a woman when I’m not distracted by the natural man (carnal man). Guys are cursed with this we just have to learn how to control it. A woman doesn't need to expose her body to be beautiful. -Christopher
Cristopher is very right!
You don't have to undress yourself to be a pretty person or even a beautiful lady.
You should be modest for 3 reasons.
1. God says so!
In 1 Timothy 2:9 the Bible says:
"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;"
See!
The Bible says that we need to be what?
Modest!
2. You need be different from the world.
James 4:4 - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
The ladies of the world have there own style, immodesty. They dress to please those in the world and not God. This is wrong because God says that we need to not be friendly with the world or the things of the world.
3.You must save your divine body for your husband.
This is the most important thing after God saying so. You don't need to share your curves with other men, you need to save them for your husband. My second point is:
What are types of modesty?
This point has to do with immodesty not as in only showing flesh (although it is the top form of immodesty) but also the "bling" you adorn yourself in or the worldly flashy styles that are very "look at me"-ish and don't show that you are a good girl seeking  attention from a godly man in search of your heart.
I have 4 different immodesties that I have listed:
1. Makeup.
Now in days makeup has become a form of covering up in stead of a way to accentuate your God given beauty.
It has become a mess of dark shadows 
Vampy lips
And self praise  
It draws attention to your outside and not to your inside. I have heard girls say that it gives them confidence. I believe makeup can do that, but only if it is done naturally and as a symbol of God's divine workmanship in creating a lady.
Now in days young girls have role models, namely, teenagers and adults. If a 10 year old girl sees a 16 year old lady wearing bold lips and dark eyes there is an  85% chance that she will follow her foot steps. This is why we should be aware of how we are making our selves up.

2. the earrings you wear!!!
I gave earrings there own place in my post because they can be just as immodest as dark makeup. How? you might ask. Earrings(dangles) can be big!
 #no joke
Now I know this picture is unrealistic unless you are a Sasquatch, however it is true that women do wear huge gaudy earrings now in days.
 
These are some realistic pictures of earrings people actually wear!
Do they draw attention to her heart? No. They draw attention to herself and her made up exterior.
Now I'm not saying that dangle earrings are necessarily wrong,  In fact I wear them often. (although I adore some little studs!) If they are cute, that's not wrong either; but when they are there to make you more noticeable then we have a problem.
Earrings can be a sweet statement that doesn't over do attention.
Note: If you are with a man or you are one I ask you don't read past this mark. There are pictures that could cause your mind to wonder. THANK YOU.
Types of immodest clothes. 
1. What's wrong with pants.
In this little point I would like to address my beliefs about pants and why I sincerely believe they are meant for a man and not for a woman for the following reasons.
a. The Bible says that a woman should dress like a woman and that she shouldn't wear mens clothing.

Deuteronomy 22:5

Viewing the King James Version. Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of Deuteronomy 22:5.

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.


Right hear it's very clear that we are to dress like a lady.
Originally men wore pants and women wore skirts/dresses.
And if wearing mens clothing is an abomination unto God, then I think I'll stay away from it.

b. It draws attention to the wrong places!!!

Your wear.
That is the first place you look when you see a lady in pants. Now girls don't notice it that much but men who have a catching eyes do catch it. It hugs the shape of your body! And I'll use the same argument for shorts, they're just short pants.
2. Skirts.
a. Tight shirts.
#putthathinybackorsohelpme.
Does she know that her wear-end looks big????? I don't have to ask you where your eyes go in a tight skirt. It is obviously immodest.
b. Skirts above the knees.
Exodus 28:42 says
And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
The thigh is from the hip to the knee.
That is clear any where.
Merriam Webster defines it as:
: the part of your leg that is above the knee\
So if you uncover your thigh you are sinning against God. Now this doesn't mean your knee must be covered, only you thigh. A good guideline however to have is that your skirt reaches below your knee.
and not above.
The first two of these skirts according to the bible are indeed modest, however the last one is clearly immodest.


3. Blouses.
I chose to put this one last so that any men reading this would have to actually scroll down in order to see the pics I am going to post.
Remember we don't want to ever tempt a man even if it is someone elses picture.
a. Low cut blouses.
This one I am going to be careful demonstrating as it is the part of our body we should never expose and I will prefer handling this subject with caution.
This is one example. If you look at the more front faced picture you will notice that she is revealing a little bit. Maybe not as much as other girls but just enough to tempt a man. women wear lowcut shirts for 1 reason. To express there Sexy-ness. 
They do not want to cover themselves up and they think that if God gave them "BOOBS" then they should share them.
But although this is a bit touchy for me seeing as I am not in a relationship I must say that your breasts and your body are meant for you to share with your husband ALONE!
b. Tight blouses.
Tight blouses can be just as dangerous as lowcut blouses although they cover your breast they still reveal your chest area. The same goes for gathered blouses near the chest.
They draw attention right at your bust line.
c. Crop tops.
Crop tops are those little numbers that crop your top and expose your belly.
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Your tum-tum is meant to be covered just as well as your bust is. Although we don't see anything in the bible about croptops or tight shirts or even low cut shirts we do see verses about covering your body and about not tempting men.
  James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
We must be careful not to entice a man into temptation.

4. Dresses
a. Sleeveless/off the shoulder
So there are debates about whether sleeveless dresses or even shirts are modest or not. For me I choose not to wear sleeveless because it is right on the line to the point at which someone may be able to see down the arm hole if I raise my arm.
Now I can't say that sleeveless dresses are immodest I just think that they can be on the line of being risky.
So the above picture is not apparently immodest but it is showing more skin then it should.
If you look at this lady you can see that there is slight bit of her bust showing from the side which can in fact cause a man to stumble.
Now about off the shoulder dresses. 
So this dress at the top is not immodest in fact I would say there is nothing wrong with that top aside from it being too tight. Now on a day to day basis I think it is not something I would wear and honestly if you bend down it could be risky and provide a free show that shirts on the shoulder would not provide.
So honestly I believe that this particular style would be on the line of possibly being immodest.
Now, I could show you a ton of other and more immodest off the shoulder tops but I think this one fits my purpose.
b. Strapless
Now in days ladies have become experts at showing off their "stuff" and sadly strapless dresses have become the way for women to do so.
I don't have to tell you what is showed off in this picture, her bust is showing. And that is what is wrong with a strapless dress. It shows off things that ought not be showed off.
5. Swim wear.
Now I know that many people believe that it is ok to wear bikinis or 1 piece suits around their family.
However your brother and father can see you in something and it could cause them to stumble. I am not saying that your brother of father will lust after you but they can think things they are not supposed to.
I am not going to show a pic of someone in a bikini or super short shorts but I would like to give you an example of modest swimwear.
Although her dress is above her knees, her leggings are below and therefore this is acceptable for swimming. However it would be wrong to wear this outside of your family. Your knees are still exposed even though they're covered by the dress their shape is exposed.
Remember this; Raise you arms, touch your toes, if anything shows then change your clothes!!!!
I hope you enjoyed this post and I just want to say that if you do not agree with my stand on modesty then that is ok  I just ask that you wisely choose your words in the comments below, remember that God sees the comments as well as I do.
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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on modesty Hannah. I remember that my son struggled with immodest thoughts when he attended Sunday School as a teenager and the girls wore such short dresses and skirts. I do think that we should all worry more about what is on the inside than what is on the outside.

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