So, you’ve been diligently reading this series on modesty for a week and a half now. You eagerly desire to honor God by being modest. You’ve meditated on 1 Timothy 2:9-10. You’ve asked God to help you.
Then you trot down to the local mall.
As you survey the dizzying array of clothing options, you suddenly feel lost and confused. Which items are seductive and immodest and which display a heart of modesty and self-control? You’ve searched the entire Bible, and while you’ve found various maps of Jerusalem, you’ve yet to discover pictures of hemlines or addendums with appropriate neckline specifications.
This much we do know—God clearly commands modesty and self-control both in heart and in dress. Therefore, if we sincerely seek to apply His Word to our heart, it will be revealed by what we wear.
However, as our friend David Powlison says, “change is in the details.” Just as we don’t shop for clothes without knowing what size we are, we can’t pursue modesty without developing some specific criteria. To assist you in this, we want to humbly offer this Modesty Heart Check for your consideration. Now, we don’t think we are the final word on modesty or that we know better than anyone else. We simply want to serve you as you seek to shop for the glory of God. And if this little bunch of questions helps you do that, we’ll be thrilled.
We are requesting that Modesty Heart Check only be read under the following two conditions: 1. You’ve read all our previous posts on Fashion and Following the Savior, and 2. You read the “heart check” questions before the “modesty check” questions.
“Why these conditions,” you ask? Well, it is very important to us that you read the “modesty check” questions in the context of biblical truth. Otherwise, we all are prone to the temptation to turn a tool like this into a list of rules or to sinfully judge others who don’t agree or to excuse ourselves on a technicality. But we want you to consider these questions in light of the beauty of God’s standard of modesty.
So, will you agree to comply with these terms and conditions? (We didn’t know how to install an “I agree” button so we’ll have to go with the honor system here.)
We hope this Modesty Heart Check helps with the “Confused Shopper Syndrome.” May God pour out His abundant grace on you as you seek to glorify Him. We know, without a doubt, that He will!
