Why modesty?

So the last post talked a little about the differing views on modesty, and we looked at one verse that spoke on modesty.

I would love to dive dive dive into this issue with everything in me, but then you would have a jumbled mess of thoughts and no real solid subject matter.....eh....kind of like the way I talk...my poor poor husband :)

anywho, where was I?

Oh yeah, modesty. So today I will talk about the WHY factor. Then the next post will be on the.....dun dun dun...clothing(talk about a loaded issue. Never come between a woman and her clothes *wink*).


The big question....does it really matter???

To that I say, YES. It does matter what we wear. But WHENNNNNNN we realize that, is between US and GOD. I know myself to have been a Christian for several years now, but I know I have not been dressing modestly the whole time. The thing is though, that is NOT something the church could have really taught me, or even a sermon. The change of heart must come to us from God himself.

I am not saying the church or the pastor's preaching can't help at all, because they can. In fact, God changed my heart, but He used a few very specific sermons, and some good friends in the body of Christ, to help me on my way. But God had to reveal to me, what my body and my clothes, (or lack there of)is capable to do to a man.

I fully admit it, I am a woman. Whew, glad I got that out there :) And as a woman, I obviously don't think like a man. It's not long however, before a woman realizes she wields some power with her looks and her dress. Of course, like most women, I was oblivious to just how much power I had. But a growing number of men in the Christian church today are asking...NO...BEGGING for us to understand, just how much we can do to them.
To cut to the chase, a woman, by wearing a low cut top, can cause a man to sin. A man who walked into church and not one second before was wanting to think anything other than greeting friends, is now sent spiraling into thoughts, HE DOES NOT WANT. Now, OF COURSE there are some men, who are not walking in the spirit, but the flesh, and desire to have those thoughts, and enjoy the low cut tops. In that case, there is not an amount of modesty we could reach that would help that man, because his is a heart issue, not a modesty issue. IF a man is not right with God then modesty will not help. HOWEVER there are a LOT of men, who ARE right with God and they do love and desire to please Him. Some of those men are trying with all their might to stay away from pornography, billboards, and magazines, in order to preserve their walk, their witness, and their marriage. Yet they walk into church and there it is. Short skirts on women from ages 12 to 50. Low cut tops that reveal EVERYTHING when a woman bends over to pick up her crying child. Hip and crotch hugging pants, that leave NOTHING to anyone's imagination. They are bombarded everyday in this society, should they not be safe at church, with their sisters in Christ to watch out for them??

I believe I would be safe to say, that MOST women have no idea what they are doing. They believe they are well dressed, and ready to meet and greet. They have no idea that a mans brain is visually stimulated by even the tiniest amount of skin. For instance your shirt seems to cover just fine standing up, however when sitting down things are different. Let say you drop your pen. You bend over to pick it up and that same shirt goes all the way up your back revealing your bare skinned back, part of your underwear and even the top of your butt when you do. The man sitting behind you is almost forced to watch the "show" you unwittingly just put on.

With the exception of few, in most churches I have been to, the teens dressed in such short dresses and skirts, that the girls had to reach around with both hands and hold the bottom of their dress on so that as they took their seat it would not ride all the way up. The hard part was that they sat near the very front, so a couple hundred people behind them were forced to watch. How many of those were male? How many of those males were then tempted to think sinful thoughts?

Please understand that I am not making the point that girls should be perfectly modest so that by doing so somehow we can make men into great godly men since we would have removed the temptation. I do not believe that at all. I DO believe however, that we should not tempt a Christian brother to sin if we can help it. And WE CAN HELP IT. We can do so much to help this situation.
Am I wrong?

My admission...
I have worn all of the things above mentioned. Mostly before I became a Christian, but definitely still some after giving my life to Christ. I even at times, was pleased with myself when I was complimented on what I was wearing, or caught men staring, secretly hoping they thought I was beautiful. It was wrong, and I know that now, but the temptation to be "beautiful" is still there. I truly believe though that God has really shown me how this area can affect men. And to honest, I no longer want a part of it. I was shameful in my behavior for so long. I still struggle in many areas, but this is an area I am growing in. This growth could not have come at a better time, since I am now raising a daughter and a son. What we raise them to believe about modesty, purity, and God, is not told or preached, it is modeled.

I close with this link to a sermon that is near to my heart on this topic. It is not really a sermon on modesty, but a sermon on how lust is of the heart,and being modest is so important, yet it cannot save any man from his sin. I post that to help people know that we CAN take modesty too far. We can make it law. Which would be hard on those girls whom God is still growing and working in, it would be a harsh thing for them to hear, "Hey sweetie, do you mind covering up a bit?? You do know the bible says not to look like a trashy street-walker right?" I am thinking that's not really what needs to happen. IF that had happened to me when i was first seeking to grow in my new relationship with God, I would have been so embarrassed, I don't think I would have returned to a church. I think though that if us women modeled it for the younger women, and raised our children to dress modestly, then there would not be a huge need to lecture the point now would there? The Bible speaks for itself on the issue. Men should not lust. Women should dress modestly. Immodest dress causes men to lust and therefore sin. We should not tempt others to sin. I feel we can all reach that conclusion when we are following God and reading His word, without the need for law and shame.

I am so looking forward to my next post on this subject. I will throw in some pictures of me in some of my new "modest" purchases.