When I started this research and thought about this question - how should we dress as Christian girls? - Many said to me that it reminded them of Muslim clothing and grandmas. I want to tell you, you can be fashionable and modest at the same time; you just have to remind yourself of some unwritten rules and your conscience. In this text, I will share a few thoughts, combined with some opinions, and ideas from a number of videos I have seen about modesty and add stories and photos of a few people I have met who I can say are willing to be modest and decent.
The fashion industry and media today puts a lot of pressure on young people. Most of them are confused and follow false rules, not knowing whether they are right or wrong. Good teachers are rare and very few are bold enough to talk about this. People find it normal to put on whatever they can buy in stores. But the most important question of all, ladies, is - are you clothed in modesty (or - dressed modestly)?
Have any of you ever wondered what message you are sending with your clothes? And if your body could talk, what would it say? Do you have any shame or respect?
Your body is a temple of God. How do you treat it? Do you care about it? We were created naked, but sin made us ashamed. The interesting part is, Adam and Eve covered so little, they covered their hips, but God took animal skin, and covered them properly. He made them some kind of tunics (Genesis 3:7) We have freedom to choose our clothes, and the choice we make screams out our spiritual state. I think that most young people have forgotten how to blush and be modest. Your skin should be known by your husband, not by everyone around. Today's bikinis are so sinful, but we find them all right because everyone wears them. Everyone sins, so should we? Not at all.
Why do girls dress up and wear make up? You would say to be beautiful. Everyone is created in God's image, aren't we then wonderfully made? Yet you try to get attention from boys with your clothing. You have all the attention you need in God. Your beauty isn't on the outside, it is in you. One of my friends said: I don't need a girl who looks like Barbie if she can't say one normal sentence. And it's true. We pay so much attention to our appearance, that we don't have time to read and educate ourselves. Also, girls are so competitive in the way they dress; they try to look better than others by wearing a certain outfit, and if they see someone dressed like them, it’s the end of the world. We try to stand out. But to stand out doesn't mean you have to show off. It means to cover yourself up so that people would be interested in meeting you. Showing your curves and skin makes them want you and have you by just looking at you. They may be so attracted to you that even if they would like to talk with you and get to know you, it would be so hard to concentrate on your words. If you want real love, and I believe you do, don’t let them have your outside but make them seek your inside. Are you proud just of your body or are you proud of who you are? Remember, boys need to be challenged to be gentlemen. Colossians 3:12-14 says: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
When you go to church, you try to look good, showing respect to God. Somehow today it has become a place to show off. Did you come to a church or a catwalk? There is no need to show your legs, stomach and chest. Boys are weak when they see your skin. But skin is not the only thing that bothers them. Wearing clothes that are too tight also makes them stumble. Wearing tights and body shirts that cover your skin won't help at all. Your curves will be there, it will look like your clothes are painted on you. Try to buy things that are a number or two bigger than your size, but be careful not to buy tops that are too big. If you need to lean over, be careful, you might fall out. If you like bigger tops, try to wear something tighter underneath the big top, so that when you lean over, nothing will be seen.
It is hard to set up rules on size and appearance. Each girl has a different type of body. One thing that looks great on one girl could look bad on the other. I was asking boys about their opinion on certain things. Together with them, I concluded, there are a few areas that just HAVE to be covered and not emphasized with tight clothes. Wearing short skirts and pants we all know is just not a good idea in church or in public. The more skin you show off on your legs, the more boys will look at them. No matter what size you are, tall or short, how well your muscles are toned, it is just not right. The proper length should be around your knees, slightly under or above. Wearing tight jeans that reveal the shape of your bottom, looking like the jeans could tear apart any second… Why would you do that? Firstly it’s not comfortable and secondly it’s not a nice sight and most of all, it’s certainly not modest. To reveal your stomach area we all know is not proper; that also applies to the chest area. I came across a few opinions about naked shoulders and wearing shirts with straps. We agreed that if someone is looking at your strap, their eyes will soon slide to your chest area. Shirts where you can see your bra straps are more dangerous. It makes a man think about your bra, yes, it does. So, try to hide them as much as you can. If you wear sleeveless shirts, try to cover your shoulders with a scarf or something similar.
Maybe you say if you show some little it is not that bad, but IT IS NOT GOOD EITHER. You can always find someone who is worst than you, but you have to look up on someone who is better than you. Please don’t get numb. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. With covering yourself properly, you are serving both God and your brothers. The way you dress is personal and public statement of who you are and represents your purity. Modesty is decency and humility. Woman, dressed modestly is like candle. She humbly glows slowly, she radiates the positive attitude, and she is worm and mysterious and last long. You have the power to control or to destroy. Choosing to pay attention to your inner beauty according to Bible, you are controlling. "Humility is the proper attitude towards greatness, and I think that modesty is the proper attitude toward a woman's body." Jason Evert. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says: "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." So does it say in 1 Peter 3:3-4:" Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." When you cover your body, you are not hiding yourself from world; you are revealing your dignity and your spirit. You are proving to others that you are worth waiting to be seen. Teach boys what kind of love you deserve by the way you are dressing. Cover yourself and show you are worthy, serve God and serve your brothers.
The fashion industry and media today puts a lot of pressure on young people. Most of them are confused and follow false rules, not knowing whether they are right or wrong. Good teachers are rare and very few are bold enough to talk about this. People find it normal to put on whatever they can buy in stores. But the most important question of all, ladies, is - are you clothed in modesty (or - dressed modestly)?
Have any of you ever wondered what message you are sending with your clothes? And if your body could talk, what would it say? Do you have any shame or respect?
Your body is a temple of God. How do you treat it? Do you care about it? We were created naked, but sin made us ashamed. The interesting part is, Adam and Eve covered so little, they covered their hips, but God took animal skin, and covered them properly. He made them some kind of tunics (Genesis 3:7) We have freedom to choose our clothes, and the choice we make screams out our spiritual state. I think that most young people have forgotten how to blush and be modest. Your skin should be known by your husband, not by everyone around. Today's bikinis are so sinful, but we find them all right because everyone wears them. Everyone sins, so should we? Not at all.
Why do girls dress up and wear make up? You would say to be beautiful. Everyone is created in God's image, aren't we then wonderfully made? Yet you try to get attention from boys with your clothing. You have all the attention you need in God. Your beauty isn't on the outside, it is in you. One of my friends said: I don't need a girl who looks like Barbie if she can't say one normal sentence. And it's true. We pay so much attention to our appearance, that we don't have time to read and educate ourselves. Also, girls are so competitive in the way they dress; they try to look better than others by wearing a certain outfit, and if they see someone dressed like them, it’s the end of the world. We try to stand out. But to stand out doesn't mean you have to show off. It means to cover yourself up so that people would be interested in meeting you. Showing your curves and skin makes them want you and have you by just looking at you. They may be so attracted to you that even if they would like to talk with you and get to know you, it would be so hard to concentrate on your words. If you want real love, and I believe you do, don’t let them have your outside but make them seek your inside. Are you proud just of your body or are you proud of who you are? Remember, boys need to be challenged to be gentlemen. Colossians 3:12-14 says: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
It is hard to set up rules on size and appearance. Each girl has a different type of body. One thing that looks great on one girl could look bad on the other. I was asking boys about their opinion on certain things. Together with them, I concluded, there are a few areas that just HAVE to be covered and not emphasized with tight clothes. Wearing short skirts and pants we all know is just not a good idea in church or in public. The more skin you show off on your legs, the more boys will look at them. No matter what size you are, tall or short, how well your muscles are toned, it is just not right. The proper length should be around your knees, slightly under or above. Wearing tight jeans that reveal the shape of your bottom, looking like the jeans could tear apart any second… Why would you do that? Firstly it’s not comfortable and secondly it’s not a nice sight and most of all, it’s certainly not modest. To reveal your stomach area we all know is not proper; that also applies to the chest area. I came across a few opinions about naked shoulders and wearing shirts with straps. We agreed that if someone is looking at your strap, their eyes will soon slide to your chest area. Shirts where you can see your bra straps are more dangerous. It makes a man think about your bra, yes, it does. So, try to hide them as much as you can. If you wear sleeveless shirts, try to cover your shoulders with a scarf or something similar.
Maybe you say if you show some little it is not that bad, but IT IS NOT GOOD EITHER. You can always find someone who is worst than you, but you have to look up on someone who is better than you. Please don’t get numb. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. With covering yourself properly, you are serving both God and your brothers. The way you dress is personal and public statement of who you are and represents your purity. Modesty is decency and humility. Woman, dressed modestly is like candle. She humbly glows slowly, she radiates the positive attitude, and she is worm and mysterious and last long. You have the power to control or to destroy. Choosing to pay attention to your inner beauty according to Bible, you are controlling. "Humility is the proper attitude towards greatness, and I think that modesty is the proper attitude toward a woman's body." Jason Evert. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says: "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." So does it say in 1 Peter 3:3-4:" Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." When you cover your body, you are not hiding yourself from world; you are revealing your dignity and your spirit. You are proving to others that you are worth waiting to be seen. Teach boys what kind of love you deserve by the way you are dressing. Cover yourself and show you are worthy, serve God and serve your brothers.
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