Worldliness & The Issue Of Modesty

Hey folks, below is an insightful and very helpful discussion starter by Dennis Rainey from Family Life Today. Dennis does a great job in a couple of sentences graciously pointing us to the reality that we need to be on guard concerning the issue of modesty - while at the same time the issue is really a matter of the heart. Very encouraging.

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Outer Wear or Inner Spirit?

Your adornment must not be merely external . . . but let it be the hidden
person of the heart.1 Peter 3:3-4, NIV

I'll never forget that spring Sunday when our church was honoring our graduating high-school seniors during the service. A couple of the students had been asked to speak to the congregation. The first was a young man, sharply dressed, who made an articulate statement about his faith and confidence in Christ. He was followed by a young lady who presented an equally strong message--but her dress was so skintight and seductive that I imagine it was hard for any of the male gender to pay attention.

I want to be quick to say that we men are fully responsible for where we allow our gaze and our thoughts to go. One hundred percent responsible. But I must ask today's Christian woman and teenage girl, what thought process goes into your clothing choices?

And dads, if your daughter dresses immodestly for church (or school, for that matter), are you willing to ask her to please go put on something more appropriate?

It's important to help our daughters understand how God hardwired a man. Barbara and I have four daughters, so you can be sure we had many conversations around this subject as they grew up. We know what it means to raise young women in a culture that's increasingly promoting immodest dress. We know what it's like to wander the stores, losing hope of ever finding anything suitable to wear.

We need to help our daughters (and sons) be more concerned with cultivating their inner spirit rather/more than their outer wear. Their appearance says a lot about who they really are. And it says a lot about the kind of man they are trying to attract. Do they really want their neckline or hemline to be what lures a guy?

Discuss: What are the dress codes in your family? What have you determined about how to address and enforce these?

Pray: Pray that you will have the courage to confront difficult issues like this. And pray that you will model what you preach to your children.