Witnessing this event was shocking. A grown
man found this young girl attractive. Why is that? She showed her
entire body to him. There was almost nothing left of her that we did not
see. She managed to wear clothes and still be practically naked.
My parents have raised me to dress modestly.
For the longest time, modesty was a set of rules. Shorts had to be this
long. Shirts had to go up this high. I couldn't wear this. I
couldn't wear that. Not until years later did modesty become a conviction,
a way of living, a matter of the heart.
I discovered my conviction for modesty after
witnessing the scenario I just mentioned. The young girl's inappropriate
clothing caused the married man to look at her body with sinful desires.
I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ.
Stemming from that belief is the belief that the Bible is true and
inerrant. Matthew 5:28 states,
"...anyone who looks after a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart." Jesus says that adultery does not have
to be physical in order to be a sin. Lusting after someone is committing
adultery at the heart. This does not apply solely to men. Women can
also fall into temptation of lust. Our culture makes it very easy for
anyone to engage in sinful behavior. Our world shows that it is okay for
people to lust after other people, at any stage of their life, married or not. Let me clarify that a man lusting after his
wife is not a sin, for they are already married. In the context of marriage, lust is not a sin.
Although women do lust, men are typically the ones
that fall into this. Why men? Women wear clothing that show their
body parts. It is easy for men to find a woman physically attractive when
women are making it impossible to see past their outward appearance.
Growing up dressing modestly has taught me the
importance of what's inside a person. When I dress modestly, I am
covering my body from men. This way they can see who I am internally: my
personality and character. They aren't distracted by anything on the
outside and can focus solely on the inside. When a man starts to pursue
me, I know that it is for my heart, not my body. I hope they do find me
attractive, but in a pure way.
Modesty does not just mean how I dress but also
means having a modest heart. Even with modest clothes on, I could still
find ways to flirt or flaunt my body in an inappropriate way. With a
modest heart, I am not interested in doing this. I am more interested in
serving Christ. A pure heart allows me to do that without the
distractions of other men. Living
modestly prevents others from sinning from my errors. If a man was to sin by lusting after my
modestly dressed body, I would not be to blame.
I have done my job of dressing modestly.
Now it is their job to guard their hearts from lustful thoughts.
Modesty has changed my life. Covering my body
in appropriate clothes has built up my self-esteem. I am not concerned
about looking good enough to show my entire leg or my midriff. I don’t have to fit into tight clothes. I can be comfortable with my body by dressing
comfortable. I still have issues with my
body. There are still days I don’t like
the way I look. But, no one else’s
opinion matters to me. Only God’s
opinion matters. I dress myself daily in
order to gain His approval. How would He
want me to dress? Striving for His
approval is another way to ward off negative thoughts. God will never let me down. Humans will.
People make mistakes. They aren’t
always reliable or trustworthy. They
change. God never changes.
It is not easy to dress modestly in a world like
ours, where all the stores sell clothes I would never wear. Because of it being more of a challenge, it
is more fun to succeed. I feel that I
have accomplished much, managing to cover most of my body while still looking
attractive. I enjoy putting outfits
together that are pretty and mature while being modest at the same time. Modesty is an art form. Since the stores don’t have much to offer for
a modest girl, I have to work with what they do offer and create a modest
outfit. I have to adapt to our
culture. I do not cave in and give
up.
I am a leader in my church’s youth group. Young girls look up to me. They watch my actions, listen to my words,
and observe my clothes. I do not say
this to elevate my decision, but to draw attention to the importance of my role
in their lives. I was once their
age. I was influenced by older girls I
know: good and bad. The way my mentors
spoke, acted, and dressed played a role in the way I speak, act, and
dress. I understand the power of a
mentor. Therefore, I strive to be the
best influence I can be. I use my words
to build people up, instead of tearing people down. I use my actions to show my love for Christ
by helping others and being selfless. I
use my clothes to be modest. I show
other girls that modesty is a challenge, but a worth-while challenge. Modesty is not the easiest way to dress, but
the more Christ-like way to dress.
Modesty is not the most convenient way to dress, but worth the struggle.
All in all, modesty has gone from a dreadful set of
rules to an enjoyable way of the heart.
I have fallen more in love with God because of living modestly. I do not have to worry about my body, therefore
I can fully focus on God. My conviction
to be modest has not stemmed as much from my parents as it has my mentors. It is easy to forget that parents do things
out of love, so a set of rules makes me want to rebel. But, when I notice other girls following the
rules my parents gave me, I realized the importance of modesty.
I have never regretted my decision to be
modest. I am so thankful I had the
influences I did, because, without them, I would not be who I am today.
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