A woman who
fears the LORD
a writing on modesty
pamela spurling
Can you open the door and say "Welcome Home!" to the
LORD? I have some heavy thoughts on my heart...I have
been wanting to write about this for many weeks; I don't
know if it is the presence of spring or the sights I
have been seeing, but I would sure like to share with
you something that is on my heart, and it is the subject
of modesty. I am deeply concerned that what I write
today will be taken to heart and will not cause a
"reaction." This topic doesn't come from any specific
place or from any organization and I have no personal
"agenda" in sharing this with you. I just pray the LORD
will use this message to inspire women to godliness and
obedience to the Lord Jesus. I have committed to the
LORD once again to share what He lays on my heart to
share.
*A woman who fears the LORD*
We have an obligation *because of our freedom in Christ*
to honour the Lord Jesus and our brothers in the LORD by
our dress and by our behavior. For many years I was
totally unaware of how my dress and behavior affected
others. I was indifferent to the fact that I was, by the
clothing I was wearing, causing a brother to stumble. It
would be many years into my Christian walk before I
realized I had an obligation to the LORD to avoid the
appearance of evil, that I had a responsibility to
protect the gift that I am to my husband and the duty to
my brothers in the LORD to not be a stumbling block.
Evil, you say? Yes... if I disregard my behavior and am
careless about the message of the cross, I see this as
evil. How frequently and easily we apply this to
"drinking" and how acceptable it is for a Christian to
not "drink" so as not to cause a brother to stumble, but
how seldom this is applied to the area of modest dress.
I believe the LORD has called me to minister to women
and to share the 'hard things' and I am willing to be
scoffed at for the sake of the LORD. I am aware that
whenever this subject comes up, there will be accusation
of legalism or of "bondage." I am perfectly comfortable
hearing these allegations because I probably at one time
rejected these truths or thought the same thing until I
began to understand the difference between legalism and
obedience. When a woman is in the bonds of legalism, she
depends on behaviors or thoughts and the performing of
these duties as necessary to keeping or obtaining
salvation. So then, fundamentally, legalism becomes a
religion unto itself. So where does obedience to the
Word differ from legalism in behavior and thought? In
the last several years I have thought on this question
perhaps thousands of times... wondering what in this
world should a woman wear, how should a woman behave,
where should a woman spend her time, how should a woman
go about loving her husband and how should she live
pleasing the LORD? So... here goes: It matters what a
Christian woman looks like. It matters what she wears
and doesn't wear. She is a representative of the LORD.
She is an "advertisement," if you will, for the LORD.
I recently shared how important it is for the reputation
of the LORD and other Christian women how one looks to
the "watching world." I am not referring to the physical
appearance of a woman's body, whether she is tall,
short, thin, large, small, etc., etc.; but her
appearance: When a Christian woman is out to shop or to
run errands, it does matter what she looks like. It
matters what statement she is making about the LORD and
about the reputation of her sisters in the LORD. Today,
I am not simply referring to the appearance of neatness
or cleanliness, but I am concerned about another area,
and that is the area of modesty.
Modesty is about as foreign to some as living in a
mansion or in a hut or fluently speaking a foreign
language. What is modesty... and what does the Word say
about modesty? Not the world, but the Word. 1Timothy 2:9
says, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves
in modest apparel..." Why is it important for a
Christian woman to dress modestly? How modest is modest?
Well, I have been mulling over this question for
years... How low is too low and how high is too high...
and what does it matter anyway? I used to think a one
piece bathing suit was a modest thing to wear to the
beach. I used to think that jeans were fine. I used to
think that short skirts and strapless evening dresses
were fine... until I began to ask the question: is this
attire appropriate to the LORD? I began to ask myself
what I would think were I to open the door and see the
LORD standing on my porch... would it be pleasing to
Him? Would it bring glory or shame to His Name?
There are numerous books written on style, glamour,
colour charts, appearance and fashion. Everywhere we go,
the world is dictating how we should dress---how we
should look. Just today, a news article was commenting
on the newest hairstyle trend being made popular by an
actress in a movie. We often blindly follow the trends,
consulting the magazines rather than consulting the
Word. Many have written articles on the meanings of the
verses in 1 Timothy and in 1 Peter 3.regarding the dress
of a woman. Sadly, these articles rarely appear in
"mainstream" Christian magazines and so, to many
Christian women, the discussion of modest dress either
never comes up or it is rejected as under the category
of legalism or fundamentalism.
After reading these and other verses in the Bible,
what would you say? Studying the meanings of the
different words rendered "apparel," would you say that
modest dress is for legalists? I don't think you would,
in fact, I believe a careful study of the Scriptures
necessitates a trip to the closet and a "weeding out" of
inappropriate clothing. Maybe you are thinking right now
that you already do dress modestly but perhaps there are
a few things that may attract attention to you in a way
that is not appropriate. I share this with you all
today, because I cannot recall a time I ever had
instruction from the pulpit or from a Sunday School
teacher in appropriate or inappropriate dress. I did not
know that it was even something I ought to be concerned
with. However, the more I read the Word, and the more I
prayed to be a godly woman, the more I realized that my
appearance really did matter and I began the journey to
appropriate, modest dress. I am still studying to
understand what it means to dress in modest
apparel---apparel that does not cause a brother to
stumble. I probably told you about a time ten years ago
where I sat watching women and men watching women. I was
amazed that the women in tight or low or short clothing
were completely unaware of the distraction they were to
some of the men. I was (in this "Christian" setting)
further aware of the women who *did* know that the men
were watching and the subtle entertainment and deception
that was taking place... Entertaining to both the man
and the woman and deceptive because of the emotions that
were being stirred that were inappropriate and could or
would not ever be rightly fulfilled. It was an occasion
to entertain lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
No matter what the world says about fantasy and
entertainment... it is wrong. Does this matter?
Yes, it matters.
You might say something like, "well, I am not like
that..." You are probably not like that... and then
again, it is flattering to be found attractive by a man.
You might say you no longer have an attractive figure or
appearance... I think you'd be surprised at the
different things men find attractive. Good men, married
men, dedicated men.... You might say, "those men should
learn to control themselves!" I'd reply, you're right
and jokingly say that that would be like telling them to
stop breathing. You might laugh a little, but I would
exhort you to pray and ask the LORD what He would have
you to do regarding this subject of dress and
appropriate clothing for the godly woman and then to
talk candidly with your husband about men and what they
see and what they think, how easily their thoughts are
tantalized by the sights they see.
You may feel like you have dressed in a certain way for
so long that you wouldn't be able to change now. Or, you
may feel like you *like* the way you dress and it's too
bad what others think. Would you be open to the LORD and
His promptings? I do join you in praying for what is
best and seeking what is or isn't appropriate. I would
just say in closing, that it really does matter what you
wear and how you represent the very God we serve. He has
given us all we need in the Word for instruction as to
what we ought to wear and how we ought to appear. 2Ti
3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:"
pamela spurling
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