THE APPEARANCE OF A MODEST WOMAN

A wonderful view from a lovely Christian woman.

As fashion trends become more and more sensual, it is very easy for a Christian woman to assume the only selection of “beautiful” clothing is that which complies with the culture. Dressing modestly (and fashionably) has become an art form. Frankly, many of us aren’t willing to go the extra mile it takes to dress with mystique, grace, and dignity. Add to that the desire to be attractive to the male sex, and you come out with a dismally low standard of dress. It’s all too tempting to excuse our mediocre standards because “at least this isn’t as bad as what I could be wearing.” So long as we don’t go topless to the beach, we’re obtaining some element of modesty. But God’s standard, as usual, is far much higher.

A woman’s body is for the enjoyment of one man and one man alone – her husband. However, this does not mean that a woman should not enhance her appearance – on Sunday or any day of the week. In fact, Scripture gives multiple examples of women who wore fine clothing and jewelry. Obviously, God is not opposed to women making themselves look attractive. It’s part of His natural design.

t’s very easy to assume that modesty means drab, shapeless, unfeminine clothes that make us distastefully attractive. However, contrary to popular belief, feminine beauty doesn’t have to mean sensuality. It is more than possible to exude the kind of dignity, nobility, grace, and true feminine decorum that glorifies God – without using sex appeal. Adorning ourselves with modest apparel gives us the wonderful opportunity to showcase the glorious beauty of Christ, not the cheap counterfeit of feminine beauty espoused by the culture. However, saying that we’re imitating God’s creative design by enhancing our appearance doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all.

Because our bodies house the presence of the living God, we cannot just assume that it is our right to do whatever we want with them. Rather, our body is to be spent for the glory of our King, not for our own selfish desire to be found beautiful in the eyes of others. In addition to our bodies belonging to the Lord, our bodies are also to be saved for our future (or present-day, if you’re married) husbands. We must take into account our responsibility to honor our husbands with our bodies, even before we meet him. The Proverbs 31 woman does her husband good and not harm all the days of her life, not just after she’s married (see Proverbs 31:12).