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Nov 05, 2024 18:00pm

Letters to My Children: Modesty (Pt. 1)

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To My Children:

Modesty. What does it mean? The definition is hard to nail down. Is there a line to draw for how long your skirt should be or how high your neckline should go? Can we measure it with a ruler? We certainly won’t find the line by following the culture. The line for modesty in a culture depends on where you live, is ever-changing, and is increasingly inching lower and shorter as time progresses.

As always, we turn to the Word of Truth. Can we find the exact number of inches in the Bible? Do the Scriptures say, “Thou shalt not show thy midriff”? If we are looking for an exact measurement, then of course the answer is no. But the Scriptures do have something to say about modesty.

First, when we are unsure about an answer to a question, the best place to start is with the fear of the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). If we are looking to Him in reverence and awe, we will submit ourselves to His authority and desire to align ourselves with His ways. Then we can begin to have right thinking about the subject at hand.

Second, we can look at what the Scripture says about modesty:

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works” (1 Timothy 2:8–10).

Women are to dress themselves in “respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.” Again, that doesn’t really give us a line on a measuring tape to follow, but we can deduce from the rest of the verses that modesty has something to do with displaying godliness and good works. Godliness in our apparel would be reflecting Christlike character in the way we dress; when we think of “respectable apparel,” we should be thinking about what God would find respectable, not what the world would think is tolerable.

How can we display good works in the way we adorn or beautify ourselves? “Good works” are others focused, not self-focused, so we should dress in a way that doesn’t draw all the attention to ourselves but thinks of others first. We will discuss this more in my next letter.

I love you. Grow in godliness and in your love for God.