I live in Southern California. This year we did not see too many days of cold weather. I was really bummed that my boots, sweaters and scarfs barely made an appearance this past fall and winter. Now, that summer is upon us, it is a scorcher. This type of heat wave brings out the skimpy clothing. With it being so hot, I sometimes wish I could walk around in my skivvies, but that would be a scary sight and totally not appropriate. I am overweight..no surprise.. so summer time is not so fun for me in SoCal. I do not own one pair of shorts...I do not like capris and so dresses and maxi-skirts are my best friend in the summer. However, I ask myself, "self.. if you were a skinny mini, how would you dress"?
Now, before I get in too deep. I am not coming from the mind set that wearing a bikini is Unchristian like behavior. There are even some one pieces that show more skin than a two-piece. I do find it weird that we wouldn't walk around in our bra and underwear, but we do walk around in a bikini. Where I am coming from is a place of concern for my fellow Christian brothers and sisters.
My concern is the image we portray through the clothes we wear. Also, I am concerned about what we are causing men and women to think. Many times we leave nothing to the imagination, because we have it all hanging out to see. I definitely would dress differently if I was in shape. I would wear the heck out of some shorts right now! But, have you seen some of the shorts that are in style? Holy butt checks! Seriously, some of these shorts look like they got caught in a lawn mower and girls are still wearing them. I was with Shane at Target the other day. I needed a new dress so, I wandered into the women's section. Shane noticed some of the crop tops hanging and asked why the little girl's shirts were in the adult section!!! Oh, how I love his innocence. I told him big girls wear those shirts and he said "well, they shouldn't". He thought they were silly. I think he is right. Crop tops combined with short little shorts were once reserved for hookers but now your 12 year old can wear them too! The Hubs and I are so disgusted when we go to the mall and see these little girls wearing some pretty mature clothing. Sometimes they are even there with their parents and we just shake our heads. What type of image are they portraying? It's no wonder kids are having sex so young. Those poor boys have a lot going on in their brain and other areas at that age and then their little classmates are wearing clothes like that!
Our boys are tempted at such an early age. Our men our tempted, by these young girls as well and by older women who know better. Honestly, I would like to lock my husband up or maybe just blind him, but that would be a bit much. Modesty, is so hard to find. I feel so bad for women. It is such a competition at all ages to look good and to get every one's attention. It really is a cry for more. More love, acceptance and attention. As Christian's we get that from our loving Heavenly Father and from other great people in our lives. Many of these girls do not have that from the people in their lives and are looking for it in all the wrong places. I read an article as I was preparing for this post. It was amazing! Here is a little blurb from it that was so wise:
"Men in this world will always need to guard their own hearts from women who unintentionally lure their eyes,as much as from women who intentionally dress and speak to lure lustful hearts".
Dress is not the only way we lure men. As Christian women we need to be mindful of this. What we say is also another way we can cause men to struggle. We need to respect not only our brothers in Christ, but also our sisters. It is so disrespectful to wear a low cut top around someone's man. I have to be honest I struggle with being modest. I like attention and I let that get in the way of being a woman who is glorifying to God. So, for every one finger I am pointing at you...I am pointing three more back at me. In everything, we are to glorify God. These bodies were given to us by Him, not to be used to lure men sexually or to make anyone stumble. They were given to us to be a light in this dark world. They were given to us to spread His word. We need to share love with others, not every inch of our bodies.
I will leave you with another excerpt from this awesome article I mention earlier. I will also leave the link because it is worth the read and is far better than my blog post. I was struggling getting these words out without sounding too judgmental.
"Men and women serve each other here. A godly Christian man refuses to treat women as objects of lust, humanizes them, and shows respect to his sisters in Christ as fellow heirs (Romans 8:17). A Christian woman, modestly dressed, serves her brothers in Christ, honors her husband (1 Peter 3:1-6), and removes unnecessary obstruction from her testimony of personal godliness in society and the church". (1 Timothy 2:8-15).
Trends will change and so will the weather(unless you live in SoCal then it will always be hot). One thing I know, we will always be faced with the issue of modesty. Girls are starting younger and younger dressing in skimpy attire, many times mimicking their mothers or other women in their life. Parents are allowing their girls to dress like adults and then wonder why their children are participating in adult like behavior.
I pray for us women to simply cover up. To know we are better than that. That we are loved by God. We are not objects and that finding a man who respects that is worth so much more than meaningless relationships built on lust. I pray for our men that their eyes would be guarded. That they would respect women/girls enough to let them know that a beautiful heart is a way to get their attention. Modesty is not just about clothing, it is a heart issue. I pray girls who are craving attention find it in Christ alone.
Is this a struggle for you? Whether you are a man who struggles looking at other women or are a woman who struggles with dressing appropriately I pray this helps you in some way! Let's bring modesty back!
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