Modesty, Mommyhood, Thinking Biblically

Biblical Modesty In A Modern World

/ Veronica/

I was doing some online “window shopping” the other day…Not really with an intent to buy, I just wanted to see what was out there for fall. 

 

 

Recently, each morning has started out with Hannah trying as many of last year’s fall/winter clothes as she can tolerate in one sitting, trying to determine what, if anything, is still workable, and what needs to be put away until someone else can use it.  By Tuesday we had made it through the entire box, or at least enough of it for me to determine that nothing fit!  I was shocked to see how much she has grown over the summer!  While everything still fit around her tiny waist, pants that used to be an inch too long are now Capris!  What used to be long-sleeved shirts, had become ¾ length, belly-baring shirts!  Thus began the “window shopping” to determine where I could get the most for my limited clothing budget.  (Yay for Wal-Mart, and Old Navy’s well-timed kids sale!)
 

 

Through my searching, I became more and more frustrated to see some of the stuff that was out there…Come on, she’s only 2!  Does she really need a mini-skirt, or a shirt that says, “Royal Pain” or “Shameless Flirt”?   Shameless?!  Do I really want my daughter saying that about herself – or maybe the better question would be, do I want to be saying that about her?  Jeremiah 6:15, anyone?  It’s bad enough to see those things – the clothing, and the attitude! – on teenagers (and worse yet, grown women!), but do we really have to start fighting this attitude so young?

So, after finding some decent deals online – and some articles of clothing we will avoid – we set out to find some warmer clothing.  Now, it is still technically summer.  I was just trying to be prepared.  I really thought I would have more time before cooler weather set in…Turns out, we needed them the next day!

Quite honestly, I am glad to see the summer coming to an end.  I love fall/winter clothing styles – long skirts, sweaters, long sleeved shirts, corduroy pants, and my personal favorite, my cozy, flannel-lined khakis!  (Yes, I know I live in the wrong state!)  I like that our show-it-all culture is forced into a stricter standard of modesty by the cooler weather.  In many places the choice comes down to one of cover up, or freeze.  Unfortunately, some in the fashion industry have not caught on…What good does a sweater do if it does not cover up your belly-button?  Someone, please explain that one to me…  Really.

I have always enjoyed “people-watching” but, these days it is often nothing more than an exercise in frustration.  Go anywhere – the mall, the park, and even, dare I say it, church.   The church should be a place where modesty is not only encouraged, but expected. It should be a place where we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, are seeking to serve and protect one another.  But, it has become yet another venue where “fashion,” takes precedence above modesty, discernment, and godliness.  Immodesty is everywhere.  Things that used to be kept “under wraps” are now put on display for the world to see! 

As a Christian…as a woman…as a wife…and as a mommy – I am tired of it!

The issue of true, biblical modesty has been a “soapbox” of mine for several years.  I am encouraged that the topic is getting more attention.  It has been ignored for too long.  I recently had a conversation (via e-mail) on the merits of a workshop on the topic of modesty for our church’s upcoming spring Women’s Reatreat.  This got the wheels in my brain turning again, and, while anything that I may have to say has probably already been said much better by someone else…I am going to go ahead and say it anyway.

So, over the next few days (or weeks), as time, and Hannah, allows, I will be posting a little series on modesty.  I know that this can be a topic that can cause heated debates, endless rolling of the eyes, or even send people running with cries of “legalism!”

So, stay tuned…This could get interesting…