Modesty
by
Abigail Tardiff
Modesty is a topic that is often
brought up for debate. I would define modesty as dressing appropriately
to mirror a pure heart’s spiritual condition. It is a moral that has
existed since God first created man. After they sinned in the Garden of
Eden, God made Adam and Eve a covering to conceal their nakedness. Since
that time, styles and cultures have changed drastically. Clothes that
were acceptable in the 1900’s would be obsolete today in 2017. Society
has persuaded people to follow their hearts, and wear whatever makes them feel
good. Wearing clothes that make you feel confident in yourself are not
immoral, but these clothes are immoral if they show off and accentuate parts of
the body that are not to be flaunted.
How can someone know what is modest and what is not? The Bible says in 1
Timothy 2:9, “In like manner also, that
women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not
with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”. Well,
according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, modesty means “To be proper, not
forward or bold, not excessive or extreme”. I believe that women should
dress in a way that is glorifying to their Creator and makes them feel
pretty. Another word that comes into question is nakedness.
Nakedness is defined as “Plainness, openness to view”. In Isaiah 47:2-3,
we see that the uncovering of the thigh is shameful. A covering is
defined as “Clothing, raiment, garment, or dress”, and we see in Exodus 28:42
that the royal priesthood wore clothes to cover their nakedness.
There are some principles that I believe are important when deciding what is
modest to wear. For instance, I believe that modesty begins in your
heart. When one is right with God and submits themselves to Him, they
should have the desire to please Him in everything that they do, including in
the way that they dress. Our testimony can be clearly shown through the
way our clothing is worn. Our bodies should be presented in a holy and
godly way to reflect our desire to please the Lord.
There are many ways that we can apply modesty to our lives — here are a few of
them. Dressing appropriately for the activity is important.
Christians should dress in a way that reflects the desire of their spirits to
please and obey the Lord, being careful not to be a “stumblingblock” to other
Christians and future believers. Another way we can apply modesty is
consulting the Bible to see what God says about how we should dress. By
making our judgments based on God’s Word, we can make sound decisions
concerning what we believe in the area of dress standards.
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