Laela
Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
Setting Standards of Modesty
Written by Mary Whelchel
January 16, 2012
I read an article by Trent Griffith of the Revive Our Hearts ministry, and he made some very important observations about the responsibility we have as parents to teach our daughters Christian standards of modesty. Using his thoughts, I want to expand on that idea this week and talk about how we set standards of modesty for ourselves as God's women, and how we communicate these to our daughters and other women and girls over whom we have influence.
Proverbs 7 is a warning against the adulteress, a warning for men to be aware of the seduction of a godless woman who would bring him down through an illegitimate relationship. Let's look at verses 7 through 10:
I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
Notice that this woman was dressed like a prostitute. Her dress defined her purpose, revealed her desires, exposed her motives. She was making it obvious that she wanted to seduce a man by the way she dressed.
Now, I doubt there are many parents today who want their daughters to dress in such a way that they send the wrong message to the boys and men around them. Yet, quite blatantly the clothes today are designed for that purpose, and many parents allow their girls to dress inappropriately.
When you hear people in the media talking about the way a woman is dressed, they often talk about how sexy she looks, as though that is a desirable and worthy objective. I believe far too many of our young girls have heard this message so much that they choose to dress in a seductive way for the purpose of being "sexy." It is not considered inappropriate to wear low cut, tight, revealing clothes. But my friends, women and girls who dress like that are "dressing like a prostitute," to use the description of Proverbs 7. They are wearing clothes that send a seductive message.
As parents and leaders in our churches, we have a responsibility to stand against this tide and teach our young girls and women biblical standards of modesty. I recognize that you may be labeled as "old fashioned" or weird to suggest that much of today's fashions are unacceptable, but if we don't stand against it, we will not be true to our calling and we will not be the godly role models we should be.
Written by Mary Whelchel
January 16, 2012
I read an article by Trent Griffith of the Revive Our Hearts ministry, and he made some very important observations about the responsibility we have as parents to teach our daughters Christian standards of modesty. Using his thoughts, I want to expand on that idea this week and talk about how we set standards of modesty for ourselves as God's women, and how we communicate these to our daughters and other women and girls over whom we have influence.
Proverbs 7 is a warning against the adulteress, a warning for men to be aware of the seduction of a godless woman who would bring him down through an illegitimate relationship. Let's look at verses 7 through 10:
I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
Notice that this woman was dressed like a prostitute. Her dress defined her purpose, revealed her desires, exposed her motives. She was making it obvious that she wanted to seduce a man by the way she dressed.
Now, I doubt there are many parents today who want their daughters to dress in such a way that they send the wrong message to the boys and men around them. Yet, quite blatantly the clothes today are designed for that purpose, and many parents allow their girls to dress inappropriately.
When you hear people in the media talking about the way a woman is dressed, they often talk about how sexy she looks, as though that is a desirable and worthy objective. I believe far too many of our young girls have heard this message so much that they choose to dress in a seductive way for the purpose of being "sexy." It is not considered inappropriate to wear low cut, tight, revealing clothes. But my friends, women and girls who dress like that are "dressing like a prostitute," to use the description of Proverbs 7. They are wearing clothes that send a seductive message.
As parents and leaders in our churches, we have a responsibility to stand against this tide and teach our young girls and women biblical standards of modesty. I recognize that you may be labeled as "old fashioned" or weird to suggest that much of today's fashions are unacceptable, but if we don't stand against it, we will not be true to our calling and we will not be the godly role models we should be.