To my fellow sisters in Christ,
In today's society, modesty is an issue that commonly arises among us ladies. At a school where skirts and dresses must go to the knee, it's something that's a common complaint. In the summer when girls are posting pictures of themselves in bikinis, it becomes a heated debate. Everyone inserts their opinions and lectures and arguments to justify what they believe is right, but rarely does anyone consider God's opinion on the matter. This isn't a post to tell you what I believe you should and shouldn't wear, but rather to prompt you to consider God's opinion on the matter. That's all.
Modesty was never a huge concern in my life....until I did a Beth Moore study on Daniel (if you've never done a Beth Moore study, DO ONE! She's incredible!) I know what you're thinking: Daniel...and modesty? What's the relation? Let me explain.
During this study, we had reached an interesting story in Daniel 5. If you've never read it, I encourage you to! In this story, King Belshazzar (the current king of Babylon) is throwing a huge party in his palace. As he's getting drunk and messing around with his women and concubines, he summons his servant to go and fetch the gold goblets that were taken from the Jerusalem temple when the Babylonians had conquered the Israelites. As they drink from the goblets, they begin praising the gods of silver, bronze, wood, and stone. This is where it gets interesting. Long story short, a hand (yes, JUST a hand!) writes a message on the wall saying that the king is doomed for what he's done, and that very night Darius the Mede runs in and kills King Belshazzar and puts his reign to an end!
Whoa, that got really weird really fast...and you might be wondering what terrible crime the king committed that made him deserving of death that very night. And here it is: 1) he used a holy and consecrated item from the temple to serve an unholy purpose, and 2) he praised and worshiped creation over the Creator. Think that doesn't apply to you? Think again.
In 2 Timothy, Paul's last letter before his death, he writes "In a large house there
are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay;
some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those
who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special
purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good
work" (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Although in this context he's talking about our conversations, I think this applies in other areas as well. The point is this: once we became Christians, God consecrated us for His holy purposes. Much like the goblets that were consecrated in the temple, God set us apart to use us as special instruments to honor and glorify Him. From this story, it's very obvious that using something that is holy for an unholy purpose REALLY ANGERS God! To the point where the person who desecrates a holy item deserves death. This applies to several areas in our sinful nature, but to me specifically God said, "Wardrobe."
I realized, every time I put on that super tight shirt or those shorts that are just a smidge too short, I'm desecrating something that God has made holy...and that angers him. And ladies, we know. We know which shirts we like to wear to accentuate our curves. We know which swimsuit we'll wear to the church party and which one we'll wear to senior beach week. And the scariest part, GOD knows. He knows our motives, he knows why we're wearing what we're wearing. He knows we want that one guy to notice us and that we're willing to take the risk of that brother (and several others) looking at us in an unholy way so that we can get his attention. And He doesn't like it. Not one bit. Shouldn't that be enough? Forget about the "don't make the guy stumble" argument for a minute. Shouldn't this opinion of God's be enough to make us dress modestly? It ANGERS GOD when we dress ourselves with these motives. And God's opinion is the only opinion that matters. When we behave in this way, not only are we desecrating God's holy temple (our body), but we're also worshiping false gods. We'd rather please society, our friends, or that group of guys over our God. That, is idol worship.
What did Belshazzar receive after committing these sins? Death, and we are easily deserving of the same punishment. Fortunately, by God's grace we don't have to literally die (only because of what Jesus did on the cross), but we should die to that nature! Instead of trying to "fit in" or "get attention" with our wardrobes, we should only seek to dress in a way that makes God smile. In fact, we should keep in mind that our wardrobe and our bodies aren't even ours at all. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). What if instead of waking up in the morning and thinking, "What do I want to wear today," we decide to say, "How does God want me to dress his body today?" Things would be a lot different. So what was your motivation for putting on what you're wearing? Are you trying to please yourself, your boyfriend, or God? Think about it.
Now, I realize the majority of this post has been saying, "Dress modestly because if you don't God will get angry." This statement is true, and seriously that in itself should be enough reason to dress wisely. But I also think it's important to realize why it makes God angry. God isn't some crazy micro-manager that blows up whenever we don't follow his rules. He gets angry because it frustrates him to see something that he loves so much being misused for something that wasn't part of his design. He made us and gave us the bodies we have for a reason, and he has a wonderful, beautiful, and incredibly fulfilling plan laid out for each of us! And it's the best plan possible! We could never create a better one in a million years. When he sees us settling, conforming, and misusing what He's given us, I believe it makes him sick. God's anger only comes from his indescribable love for us.
In conclusion, ladies, we need to guard our holiness. Christ died and bled incredible amounts of blood so that you can be holy. He died to set you apart for greater purposes, purposes much bigger and better than to just be desired by some boy. So don't be afraid to be set apart from society in every area of your life, including your wardrobe. He has something better coming!
