A Matter of the Heart

I was asked by someone to write another blog post on modesty. I am so glad that they asked because I was thinking about it myself. Modesty is a difficult topic for me to post about. There are so many different views on the subject. I could go to one extreme and say, "I don't think it matters how I dress, I mean God see's my heart. If a guy looks at me, thats his problem." Then I could go way over to the other side and say, "We all need to wear long skirts all the time without any bright colors, with high colars and long sleeves. I think it is wrong to try and make myself attractive." Both extremes are deffinantly wrong. We do need to dress modestly but, that doesn't mean we have to be strict and never wear anything that shows skin, never wear pants, etc.!

Modesty can be a difficult concept to grasp in our day and age. When so many young women in our culture have thrown out the concepts of modesty, purity, and chastity and turned toward a more provocative form of dress and behavior. A great many questions may float around in our minds: How can I dress modestly while still dressing attractively? How to embrace the femininity God has given us without enhancing it in a sensual fashion? How to be attractive without attracting the wrong attention? Etc. I mean, there really are no set rules! Just saying “dress modestly” doesn’t cover how snug, how short, how long, how loose, how bold, how plain (and the list goes on) our clothes need to be.

But when I think about it, I am reminded that the quest to dress modestly should never start with a rulebook… it should begin with the heart. To be modest really just means showing humility, not having or expressing a high opinion of your own achievements or abilities, not showy, elaborate, or pretentious. That seems to have more to do with the character of person than the dress of a person. Two different passages that concur on this subject are
1 Timothy 2:9-10:
likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.
And 1 Peter 3:3-4:
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.

The start of true feminine attractiveness cannot be found in a set of rules and regulations; the foundation of true feminine attractiveness is the heart. As soon as we realize that our inward beauty will spread through into every area of our lives… and dress will be no exception.

I am not saying that we will automatically know when something is immodest and we will never need to ask advice, as sinners we will always second-guess ourselves! What I am trying to say is if you make your wardrobe choices based on a true love for Christ, a heart submitted to His will and to the encouragement of other believers, a heart passionate about the gospel, then you have begun a very firm and reliable foundation.

Modesty starts in the heart. Let the Lord lead your heart.

~Ashlin