Modesty is a pretty big debate among girls today, especially among Christian girls. One of the biggest arguments I’ve heard against modesty is that it supposedly tells girls that they should be ashamed of their bodies. I’ve also heard girls say that we should teach men to respect women rather than forcing girls to cover their bodies. While I do believe that men should be taught and expected to respect women, that’s not the main issue here. The main issue is that we should be truly respecting ourselves.
The human body is a very beautiful thing, perhaps the very most beautiful thing that God has ever created! It was one of the main subject matters in early art because artists were obsessed with mastering the ability to depict the human form accurately (my inner art nerd is coming out...bear with me here).
Our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. Modesty is the exact opposite of body-shaming. It’s about revering the body as something special and holy. Our bodies are temples and there are certain parts of our bodies that are meant to be shared only with our spouse and nobody else. Sharing them with other people takes away from the mystery that should only be shared in the marriage relationship between a woman and her husband.
“Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.”
1 Corinthians 6:19
“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” 1 Timothy 2:9
Now, I’m not saying that we have to cover every single inch of our bodies. We can be modest and fashionable at the same time. While we should keep in mind that we should do our very best not to cause our brothers in Christ to stumble, some men will be tempted regardless of how modest we are. But that’s not the main issue here. I’m also not saying that we can’t have our hair done nicely or wear nice clothes or jewelry…the scripture I posted above (1 Timothy 2:9) is telling us that our main focus should not be on our outward appearance.
Like everything else in life, we have to examine our hearts. When we choose our clothes for the day, we should be asking ourselves a few questions. What is our motive for wearing this particular outfit? Are we simply trying to look nice and presentable? Or are we wearing it to draw the attention to our bodies? Is this pleasing to the Lord? Our outer clothing shouldn’t outshine our inner beauty.
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
