The issue of modesty is one that is regularly brought to my attention. In this society, mothers, young girls, and women of all ages are struggling to determine the best way to present themselves.
At the same time, many are disheartened by the lack of respect that people display when entering a church building. There are many ways that we disgrace God in our lives and at church; modesty is only one of them. My concern for this issue prompted the recently published article on Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics website entitled, Modesty: Still Missing From Church; If Our Motivation is to Look Attractive at Any Cost With No Consideration for Others, There is a Heart Issue to Confront.
The premise of the article is that when we address any area of our lives, we need to check our heart and motivations to see if they line up with scripture. The Apostle Paul reminds us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each one of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:3-4 NIV).” Do we sometimes miss the mark? Sure. The idea though is to at least be considerate of our choices, check our hearts, and ask the question, “How am I honoring God in this situation?”
Author, speaker, and Bible teacher, Priscilla Shirer recently wrote a blog post about being overwhelmed concerning her choices of appropriate attire for the Christian woman, speaker, and 40something year old mom that she is. In her first blog post concerning this issue, she talks about the importance of balance, conformation, care, and comfort. I understand from Priscilla’s posts and the responses to my article that our fashion crisis can be down right stressful.
I have not always been a modest dresser. As a teenager and even a young Christian in my early twenties, I was proud to showoff a little of the physique that I worked so hard to build. Even as a young person I realized, what may be appropriate for a night out on the town, was certainly not appropriate for church on Sunday mornings. That’s part of the issue here, now there is clearly a lack of discernment. People don’t even know what’s appropriate for the workplace anymore!
As a young professional, my working environment was dominated by men. Everyone lived in close proximity so there was no real separation of home and work life. I quickly realized that I wanted to be respected for my intellect and professional contributions and not how well my booty looked in a pair of jeans (and I still have nice jeans mind you). That experience was the beginning of my wardrobe transformation.
As Christians, I believe that God has given us the responsibility to set the example and be his ambassadors in this world, therefore “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things (Phil 3:14-15).”
Please take a look at the links and share your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
Blessings, Natasha
© Natasha S. Robinson 2011
A SISTA'S JOURNEY 