Modesty 101

I was taught what I would consider "basic modesty" as a child. It went pretty much like this: 1. no miniskirts or too short shorts 2. put a shirt on when you get out of the pool 3. wear a slip 4. keep things covered that should be covered. Yep. That was pretty much it. We kind of knew what things we should not even try to wear and mom dealt with individual outfits as needed. So, I had a basic understanding of modesty.

I did not know what the Bible has to say about being modest. I only ran across those verses in the last 2 years, believe it or not. I would have told you that I was modest, though. No blatant violations in this area on my part.

But there is really more to it. There is this concept that goes hand in hand with modesty for women...femininity. I have read books, articles on the Internet, and studied God's word on these topics and it's all swimming around in my head very fast! Here's what I've learned.
1. Satan has succeeded in blending the 2 sexes until many things are unisex. This is not God's design.
2. Feminists have had a great toll on society and families.
3. Modesty doesn't have cut and dry rules in God's word.
4. It's important to be feminine because God created men and women differently.
5. Rethinking society's accepted norms can be hard.
6. My daughters already have wrong ideas (at 7 and 3)!!!

I read about a "Dresses for a Week" challenge. Where I'm not interested in being "dresses only," I do want to be "dresses more often." Though many would disagree with me, I do not believe that women must wear dresses 24/7. I do, however, believe that it is important to dress femininely and modestly. That naturally means more dresses and skirts and far less jeans. I have 2 daughters who must have a feminine example before them and who need to learn to dress like ladies. They are freaked out by my choices this week!! My poor 3 year old was just sure it was church day when I pulled out a dress for her to wear this morning. She asked me 4 times where we were going. I complimented my 7 year old yesterday for her skirt and shirt because she looked very pretty. "I was a little embarrassed this morning," she told me. She's just not used to dressing this way.

I am thankful that God has opened my eyes to these very important issues before more bad habits are formed in my children. I will continue to pray and sort through clothes--getting rid of what doesn't make the grade. It's hard changing something this big, but I want to please the Lord. When I search online, I feel very behind on this topic. However, in my life people are going to think we've flipped. It's worth it, though.