But, ladies, I think we need to ask some hard questions when shopping and dressing:
- Do I care more about modesty or about being cute, fashionable, attractive?
- Would I wear this dress to church? If not, why is it o.k. to wear it to [insert festive occasion]?
- Am I inspiring younger women to choose modesty or worldly standards of beauty?
- Am I dressing to adorn the gospel or to adorn my physical features/figure?
- If I am trying to adorn the gospel by my choice of clothes, can anyone tell? Is there any difference between your closet and your worldly neighbor's?
Thus ends this tirade from the modesty police. Don't make me have to write you a citation.
A good post. And worthy of continued consideration! But I hope that you aren't just hiding behind your blog... =) If you see a dress whose dress is immodest, are you prayerfully, humbly encouraging them (in person) to consider their attire? I just ask because Lynne was recently talking about a pastor who talks about giving a modesty talk, and then the next week, the women who were already modest show up in turtle necks and the ones that the message was more directed at were as oblivious as ever... We should be looking out for each other, kindly and not legalistically, but on individual terms, too!! =) Love you!!
ReplyDeleteThat was supposed to be a "if you see a sister"... not a "dress"... and I'm not assuming here, that you don't talk to people in person about such matters. Just asking the question because I'm thinking about myself... it's a lot easier to put my thoughts out there for the world to read and consider or disregard than it is to have the individual conversations. Or I can just comment on other people's posts. ;)
ReplyDeletetotally easier to blog about this than talk to someone in person. My hope is that this post might spur discussion and thoughts to make us all more like-minded.
ReplyDeleteJust so many different standards of what qualifies as modest these days. I'm reluctant to say my standard is right, ya know?
Such a good point. Modesty begins in the heart and motivations before playing out in actions. And certainly, if you are concerned about the way someone habitually dresses, asking good questions to see where their heart is on the matter is a good place to start, rather than making assumptions based on our preferences. I don't remember who I was reading recently but he was talking about how much more chaste a woman could be wearing very little in an island community vs a woman wearing a full-covering burka.
ReplyDeleteNice post Sharon. Thought-provoking topic.
ReplyDeleteI'm certain our brothers are thankful that you're posting these thoughts too; the lack of our thought in this area usually causes them the most angst!
"Just so many different standards of what qualifies as modest these days. I'm reluctant to say my standard is right, ya know?"
ReplyDeleteI believe that this is a wise consideration. Sharon, you continually exercise wisdom and a temperate attitude when discussing these issues. I so appreciate the fact that you are a thinker!
PS - I *HEART* pipe organs.
ReplyDeleteThe church that we are going back to in TX has a pipe organ. Don't be too jealous.
Great post. Good for putting this out there for consideration.
ReplyDelete