Be More Than Just Modest

One morning I listened to Revive our Hearts broadcast on the subject matter of modesty. As I picked up my grocery list and purse and headed out the door to the store later that day, the thoughts from the program were still on my mind.

Not long after I entered the store I looked up an aisle and saw an employee, but I wasn’t sure – “was it a woman?” My thoughts bantered: “No, it’s a man. No. It’s a woman. Yes. That’s right – I think.”

About 15 minutes later I was in another part of the store when I came upon a customer pushing a young child in the cart. “Is that the mother or the father?” I truly could not tell until I passed them in the aisle and could see her skin, and then heard the child say “mommy.”

As I walked away from these women, I thought about the things I’d heard addressed from the broadcast. Modesty issues need to be addressed in our society today – it’s sorely lacking, even among Christian women. However, I began to think about the need to also be sure that along with dressing modestly, that we are also characterizing femininity.

What thoughts come to your mind when you read that? Lace? High heels? Dresses? Ruffles? Of course those things are indeed all feminine, but I believe we can have on a pair of jeans and a blouse and still be feminine. Wearing jewelry that is distinctively for a woman, having hair that is soft and cut in a woman’s style, and wearing clothes and shoes that are unquestionably feminine are all ways we can be sure we are dressing in a way that would set us apart as a woman.

We can also display femininity in our actions, speech, and walk. I’ll never forget a habit I picked up when I was a 5Th grader. I had a male teacher who, as he walked, would bounce off the balls of his feet. One day I was at home and my mom said, “Denise, you’re walking like Mr. Heft! Don’t do that!” I’m sure it must have been hilarious, but it was also not ladylike! The fact that we are women should be evident in all aspects of our lives. I’m not suggesting that we go overboard and walk with a swing in our hips that would rate a 5.0 on the Richterscale, but there is a difference between walking like a man or walking like a woman!

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask. In Genesis 2 we read that in the Garden of Eden, God made man, then He made woman. They were distinctly different, made with different purposes and they were even made with different substances; Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and Eve was made from the rib of Adam. I believe it honors the Lord, our Creator, to celebrate our femininity by being feminine, dressing femininely, and acting feminine. That’s how He made us and it is good.

My challenge is for us to look carefully at ourselves and be sure that we’re characteristic of a godly, feminine woman.