Modesty and Purity

I LOVE, puffy heart love, spring.  It's my favorite season.  I love everything about it:  green grass, pretty flowers, Easter, pastel colors, new life.  There's one thing I'm not crazy about when spring hits in Texas, and that's the skimpy clothing that pollutes public places.  I realize that our family is much more conservative than most, but I hurt for the girls who don't respect themselves enough to dress modestly, and I hurt for the guys who are continuously exposed to sights that should be reserved for marriage.

Since we are raising young men and women who we want to remain pure until marriage, the topic of modesty is one that comes up often in our family.  We're blessed that our girls WANT to dress modestly, not because we force them to, but because they want to honor God.  That takes the battle out of daily wardrobe choices, and I'm SO very grateful that our girls have chosen to respect their bodies as a temple of the Lord.

I wish that I could do something to shield our boys' eyes from the glimpses of mild pornography that are inevitable if we leave our home.  It's impossible to even go to the grocery store without seeing too much skin in places that should be covered.  Shorts are getting shorter, tops are getting lower at the bust, and one never knows what one might bump into when out and about.  I wish my boys wouldn't have to fight these images, which are forever embedded into their minds, as today's "acceptable" form of mild pornography and lust.

"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  Matthew 5:28

Since God created men (even young men...our BOYS!) to be attracted to a female's beauty, to her skin, to her areas that are meant to be seen by only her husband, it's almost impossible for our guys to not commit adultery in their hearts each and every time we leave the house.  There's no "safe" place outside our home, not even at church, sadly.

We must all remember Philippians 4:8, when choosing our wardrobe, when being tempted by the world, when our eyes are exposed to things they shouldn't see, we must ask God to help us stay focused on Him.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."  Philippians 4:8

I urge you to watch the video below.  I urge you to help your daughters understand what it means to honor God with the way we dress, what it means to respect the temple He gave us (our bodies), and what a temptation and stumbling block it is to our Christian brothers when we, as females, choose to show too much skin.  When we, as God's princesses, choose to dress in a way that shows more of our skin than is meant to be seen by anyone but our husbands, we are no longer on the same team as our Christian brothers.  We are then on the opposing team, the team of temptation, which is of Satan, not the Lord.  Please, moms and dads, make a difference by educating your children about how their wardrobe choices not only affect themselves, but how they affect others.

Edit/Sidenote:  Our family has not perfected our wardrobe choices, and I realize that there are varying degrees of "measuring sticks" on what might be a stumbling block to others, as well as a source of disrespect for ourselves.  My objective with this post is to get people thinking about wardrobe choices and how we (girls/ladies) might be causing our Christian brothers to stumble without even realizing it.  Someone left a comment about considering 3 things when choosing what to wear:  1.  Is it too low (neck, shoulder, back line), 2.  Too high (shirt hem, dress/shorts hem), 3.  Too tight (anything).  Love that guideline!

Please watch this video: