Sunday, October 23, 2011

31 Days of Femininity: Putting Modesty In It's Place




"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your min, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he out to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath death to every man the measure of faith."

 Romans 12:1-3

These scriptures convicted me as I read through them yesterday. It's fun to read all the tips on dressing modestly yet fashionably, to find tutorials on how to make all these cute accessories to go along with your outfit, etc. But if our hearts become so focused on the outward appearance that we forget what is truly important, we have failed in our attempts at modesty. 

Here are a few questions to ask ourselves to see how we measure up.

1. Do my thoughts dwell on the Lord as much as they dwell on how I look and what I should wear?

2. Do I constantly glance at myself in the mirror, making sure I look ok throughout the day? What I am asking is, am I preoccupied with my outward appearance?

3. Am I overly concerned wondering what people will think ("Is this too drab?" "Is this outfit too stylish?" "Oh dear, will they not like these boots?" etc...)

4. Do we meditate on the Lord? Are our hearts focused on truly pleasing Him, or do we merely dress this way out of outward obedience to what we think is right?

While I am not a huge fan of calico dresses anymore, in light of eternity, it honestly doesn't matter if you are wearing a calico dress, or the cutest, stylish, modest outfit you can find. When you meet your maker one day I doubt the first thing the Lord will say to you is "You have dressed well daughter. Enter ye into my rest."

There is balance in everything. My husband is always quick to remind me of this. We once swung out of balance when it came to dressing modestly out of a desire to please the Lord. We since have been convicted that we emphasized this area of our devotion to God too heavily. That being said, we must be careful and watchful not to swing too far the other direction now. 

Clothes are fun. 

Earrings are cute and I adore them.

Shoes can be a nice finishing touch to an outfit.

A skirt that fits nicely can make all the difference in how you look - frumpy or cute. 

Yet, as with every thing else, we must beware not to allow these considerations to consume us. They have their place and they ought to be contained there, never to overshadow the other areas of our witness before God, but to compliment them. They are not, however, what truly matters and if we spend our lives desiring these things, pouring our hearts and minds into how to obtain them, woe be unto us. 

"Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." 

Colossians 3:2

Have a blessed Sabbath Day! 


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8 Comments:

At October 23, 2011 at 8:51 AM , Anonymous Megan said...

"You have dressed well daughter. Enter ye into my rest."
this gave me a good chuckle this morning. I am ashamed to admit that I have thought about whether or not someone would look at my boots, too. oh dear is right!
I keep this verse taped up on my bathroom mirror so that I am presented w/ truth before I put my makeup on: Col. 3:12-14 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear w/ 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.
This is the best reminder of which "clothes" truly are the most important.I just love that- put on love!

 
At October 23, 2011 at 9:22 AM , Anonymous Jacki M said...

I once took a bible study with a women's ministry. The leader asked us... how long did you take to get ready this morning? 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 45 minutes? Now, how long did you take to prepare yourself for the Lord? Very powerful stuff.

 
At October 23, 2011 at 9:47 AM , Blogger crystalkupper said...

This is one thing I really like about you. I don't wear skirts and dresses every day (many days out of the week, but not all). And some women who wear the modesty movement like a badge have looked down on me for it. Yet you see what is important. Thank you SO MUCH for emphasizing this point. It's incredibly important!

 
At October 23, 2011 at 11:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amen! This is a wonderful post!
I have a tendency to get on something and go, go, go until I have gone WAY to far and then I have to back up and take a good look at things. It's a good thing my mother is so understanding and patient with me! :)
~Heather Joy

 
At October 23, 2011 at 1:04 PM , Blogger Audrey @ DefrumpMe said...

So true and well said!

 
At October 23, 2011 at 9:22 PM , Blogger Heather Hart said...

What a fabulous reminder!

 
At October 24, 2011 at 3:28 AM , Anonymous Far Above Rubies said...

Well said, Caroline. We do need balance. It's so healthy and liberating in our walk with the Lord.

Warmly,

Jasmine

 
At October 24, 2011 at 1:20 PM , Anonymous Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage said...

This is a wonderful post- well spoken and so very true! We humans do tend to swing out-of-balance so easily. I'm thankful for the Word and Spirit of God to help us stay on track!

Blessings,

Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage

 

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