Greetings from Uganda! I’ve been in East Africa now for about a week & I’m sure you guys have been seeing some of my posts on social media. If not please don’t hesitate to follow me over on my Instagram.
So today’s topic might be a touchy one for some people. I put this up as a topic to vote for on Instagram a few weeks ago & I did get a good number of votes, but it didn’t end up winning. Today I want to talk about modesty. Now, preparing for this trip to Africa I really had to take modest into consideration. Africa has very different standards when it comes to modesty than I’m used to in North America. So that had me thinking a lot about what I was going to wear. It’s only been recently that jeans have been considered acceptable for everyone to wear. Before only prostitutes would wear them. Women can’t show their thighs so no, shorts are allowed, this is very different from our North American standards. All of this to say it had me thinking about modesty & what it means to me. I grew up in church & modesty was painted in what I think now is a very sexist light. Modesty was always painted as being something that we did as girls to protect our brothers in Christ from stumbling, sure this is a benefit of modesty for sure, but this is not the sole reason as to why I, or anyone woman should have a standard when it comes to the way we as women dress. There are A LOT of different standards when it comes to modesty within Christendom. I know groups of people that have no issues with two-piece bathing suits, where others feel that if your stomach is showing it’s simply inappropriate. I remember there was this unspoken rule at a church I attended that once you hit a certain age it was inappropriate to wear shorts. All of this to say I’m not here to judge you on your status of modesty, everyone is different & what is fine to one person may not be fine for another. I want to challenge your thinking as to why modesty is important. We’ve all heard about the Proverbs 31 woman & I believe most Christian women do their best to use this as a picture of what we should follow & emulate. In verse 25 it talks about this woman being clothed with strength & dignity. So when I look through the clothes in my closet can I say that my clothes represent a woman with dignity? I take pride in myself & I believe dressing modestly reflects the dignity I have as a woman working towards a life that is pleasing to God. The second reason is that my body is a temple, the Lord dwells within me so is what I’m wearing a representation of the God that dwells in me? Is it pleasing to Him? & does it speak to the belief that I hold close that my body is a sacred place? The last thing is that I have been bought with a price, a price so great & the least I can do is honour my saviour by taking care of my body & choosing to dress in a way that I believe honours Him. Ultimately, when people look at me I want them to see Jesus & if that decision helps keep people from stumbling along the way, great, but the motive behind why I dress modestly has nothing to do with someone else. It has everything to do with the one I call Saviour & who has changed my life. I know there are girls out there who have struggled with the idea that you have to dress a certain way out of fear of someone stumbling. Honey, that is not your responsibility. If sexual sin came down to modesty our world would be a different place. Take the pressure off dress modestly because it’s a conviction you have for yourself & because of your relationship with Jesus.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:25
You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
1 Peter 3:4
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Proverbs 31:30
Love,
She Laughs Mission 