What is modest?
What is modest?
I was talking with my wife this morning and our conversation turned into a discussion over modesty. We are trying to figure out what it is that defines modesty in our culture or what is modest and what is not. The topic always becomes especially relevant this time of year as the weather outside warms up. The ladies bring out there shortest of skirts and most revealing of shirts and simply try to where as little as possible without being charged with indecent exposure. The guys just stop wearing shirts even though most of them should wear shirts. I think many of these men should be charged with indecent exposure. I think most of you probably catch my drift.
There are a few scriptures that seem to hit the topic of modesty. In particular 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 and 1 Timothy 2:9-10 seem to hit the topic most head on. But before we go into a discussion about these verses I would like to know what all three of you LCF bloggers think about modesty. I want to know what modesty should look like among men and women alike and who or what defines this.
So blog away and let’s see what we can come up with. I will wait a few days to get some answers and then we can look at the verses.
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12 Responses to “What is modest?”
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I know, (having 4 daughters) that modesty is a topic that comes up quite often in my home. I am reminding my older girls that wearing shirts that show ANY cleavage is unacceptable and inappropriate. I sometimes think that young women are not trying to show themselves to be immodest,rather they do not realize that men are visual creatures. That’s how we are wired. That DOES NOT give us men an excuse to be full of lust. The Lord has given us His Holy Spirit and we are to use the self control to walk in victory. My Pastor has given the analogy of going fishing at times,, If you want to catch a prize fish, you will use the prettiest lures and expensive bait. If you want to catch “trashy” fish, then you will use “trashy” bait. So my question to you women is,, What kind of man are you wanting to catch? One that is trashy and looks only at the outside? Or a man of God that is looking for a woman that is pure and serving the Lord in every way? Including the way she dresses.
God Bless!
Jason. I appreciate that respone. Four daughters, wow! Kids are wonderful. Amazing blessings from God aren’t they. I like the illustration you used. It is very helpful. And I appreciate you being a good dad and caring for what your daughters are wearing and looking like. That is a rare thing now and days. God bless you.
Hello Mike, Modesty is my business. I am a seamstress and meet with and assist women as they deal with what the market offers them to wear and what God gave them to put into what they wear. I just finished my busiest prom season ever. I have discovered that most young women that are modest bring their moms with them, and want their moms approval. I try really hard to encourage young women to present themself with a bit of mystery. I believe God created desire and we don’t need to advertise what we have to be beautiful. After all we only have what God has given us it is not of our own making. We live in a sexed society and it unfortunatly is in your face everywhere you turn. I am not responsible for others only my self but as for me and my family we will follow the Lord. This means that each article of clothing we leave the house in shows who we are and what we believe.
Well, after raising 3 kids, it’s not easy to maintain a Godly standard and “satisfy” your kids. To me, there are no modest standards out there in the world. However,unlike so many “christians” that are advocating tolerance in seemingly every area, we don’t have to make our decisions on modesty based on popularity. The purpose of wearing clothes is to cover up our bodies. We push everything to the extreme and teeter on the edge of the cliff. We have been learning about “margin” in our home group and it’s so true. The bible says to run from sin and not even go near it. Complete modesty is scriptural. Getting the kids to see that in this culture of anything goes and the added pressure from all the other kids thinking they are weird…well, as parents we put our foot down all the while teaching the kids who they really need to please and it’s not everyone else. It’s not easy, but God is not a God of COMPROMISE and anything other than Truth is just that.
We need to stop trying to impress people with our clothes and impress them with our lives.
Good words Brandon. It’s not about what we wear but who we present ourselves as or should I say who’s we are. I don’t want to scream look at me,I want to simple point people to Christ in my actions and words. I just wonder if parents took a more active role in their kids life if kids would take a more modest approach to not only the clothing but also the whole way they live. I believe the young generation is screaming look at me because of neglect. Not finicial neglect but time and attention, kids are starved for attention. Clothing is simply an outward picture of what is going on inside.
This is an area that is dear to my heart. I grew up in the world using clothing to attract the wrong attention. When I came to know the Lord I pretty much had to buy a new wardrobe. I have tried to bring my girls up to understand how we dress effects our brothers in the Lord and the rest of those guys out there. It was and is hard trying to find decent clothing out in the stores. But you can if you really pray and look hard. Sometimes you have to pay a little more but our God is in charge of the accounts so trust him!
“Modesty.” Wow, Mike, what a can of worms you opened. I’ve spent several hours today studying modest dress for Christians. I see bits and pieces, but as of yet, I have not found a dress code in the Bible. Since I haven’t found a dress code per se, I base my definition of modesty on our culture and I think most others do too. We as Christian Americans are mostly “modest” compared to the majority of our culture, but compared to fully covered and veiled women of the Middle East, we fail miserably on modesty. On the other hand, I’ve seen men and women in Korea use the busy street gutter as a toilet and think nothing of it. I like I Peter 3:3-5: beauty isn’t based on what you wear, but on what’s inside. Therefore, it seems modesty wouldn’t simply be a matter of wearing the “right” clothing, but a condition of the heart before God. Song of Solomon shows us that both men and women are beautiful and that beauty is to be enjoyed within boundaries. Modesty in Christianity is sometimes interpreted as being unattractive. I don’t see that in the Bible, but what I do see is that outward appearance shouldn’t be the focus (I Tim 2:9-10). I think this is only the tip of the iceberg!
Hey everyone. Thanks for all of the thoughts on modesty. It seems to be a hot topic. Just letting you know I will be putting a new post up this week to continue the topic and look at what scripture says.
I have 4 children, 2 girls and 2 boys. I ask my girls what their heart is? If they are trying to look nice or if they are trying to make guys look. A good man will notice you for the good qualities you live in front of them. Men that are living a godly life will not choose the girl that dresses in a way that causes them to lust. For my boys I ask if they really want a girl that needs that kind of attention? I encourage my children to see the heart that is shown not only by the way one dresses but by the way one speaks and conducts themselves in public places as well as at home and church with their family and friends.
Just letting you all know that I am still in the workings of a second post for this modesty blog. But don’t be afraid to keep the conversation rolling. Sorry for the delay. God Bless.
Can’t say I’ve seen a dress code, but one rule of thumb is not to cause your BROTHERS to stumble. So ladies, these guys are our brothers in Christ. And this isn’t just for young girls, this is for all ages. I have seen ladies of all ages dressing in ways that do indeed cause their brothers to stumble in his thought life. So when you are considering wardrobe, don’t just look at how good it looks on you, or what your intentions are, but consider your brothers as well…