14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:14-15

As women, we work hard for our bodies, and we love to show off our hard word to others, right? But as Christian women we understand there is a place for modesty and a place to show off. Here are a few style ideas for women who want to be fashionable while keeping our bodies for Him.

So let’s start off addressing the title: “Modesty: Style Ideas for the Christian Woman.” Please hear me when I say that you do not have to be a Christian woman to read this article or to have a desire to keep your body to yourselves. This post is meant to remind us of the purpose of modesty and God’s intentions for our bodies. This all may sound kind of hokey-pokey, but give me a chance to see if I can inspire you through God’s teachings. He takes lust, purity, and your body very seriously.  So let’s dive into the Bible and study some of these statements.

Have you ever walked in to Walmart with your husband later at night when pajama shorts (or buttcheek shorts) seem to be the only thing women have lying around the house? You see the quick head dart of your husband and you grimace because you know that you were not the only person who just looked at that girl’s butt cheeks. It’s an awkward feeling. It can make you feel unimportant to your husband or even like he is attracted to others more than you. But honey, let me tell you. Men are attracted to sex. Just like women gravitate towards feelings and emotions. They notice butt cheeks, and we notice someone crying in the corner. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t absolutely adore you and feel like scum when he notices those butt cheeks. They were just there.

9 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, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness – with good works.

1 Timothy 2:9-10

Can I argue with myself for a moment? When my hubby and I met, I felt like I had a pretty cute little body. Our first trip to the pool, I bought this tiny white bikini with tassels….yes, tassels. And I knew how I looked. And I knew what he would be thinking about. I had been working out every day and gosh-darn-it a man was gonna notice! I didn’t just want him to notice though. I wanted every man to notice. I wanted them wanting me because there is something so powerful about a man’s attention. Oh, and if he was taken? Even better. Because then you had the chance to size yourself up against his partner. But while I was focused on this “power” feeling, I was 1) making myself look cheap and 2) making men struggle with a personal struggle that they fight to the death every day. And good men, too! The good men you know would never cheat, I was flaunting my body to.

But then I grew up. I learned about the struggle from my husband (one of those good men). I began to understand that men aren’t given the chance to look or not any more. We are, everywhere, flaunting it outright for them. And I learned about the delicacy of lust. It doesn’t take much, girls, let me tell you. We were watching Mythbuster’s the other day, and hubby turned away when a man had a bra on. Yes, a man. Was he turned on by the man? No, not at all. But bras transport men into this world of imagination where, instead of a guy, he could see a girl in that same bra.

28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:28

Our bodies have a lot of power. Our cleavage has a lot of power….and our butt cheeks! Don’t give them away to just any one. Respect yourself, your body, your partner, and your God by covering yourself appropriately.  God meant for our bodies to be used for so much more than just sex.  First of all, our body is called a “temple” in the Bible because it houses the Holy Spirit.  You have God inside of you if you have taken the steps to accept Christ into your life.  That makes your body a Holy place.  Imagine visiting many of the Holy places in Israel where Jesus stayed and worshiped.  Would you throw trash on the ground?  No.  We would have respect for those places.  God has provided you with this body, and He wants you to take care of it the best you can.

Second, respecting yourself builds confidence.  It’s healthy to choose the people around us to have relationships with.  But in that, we also choose to allow others to treat us a certain way.  We have a standard that the people around us have to meet before we even introduce ourselves to them, let alone allow them to be our friend.  But say you allow someone to enter your life and walk all over you.  They take advantage of you.  They can basically do whatever they want to you because they know you won’t stop them.  This person does not have much self-respect.  This person does not throw a friend out when they have crossed the line, and he/she gets hurt in the process.

But someone who holds standards and aren’t afraid to let others know when you have crossed the boundaries, now that is a powerful person.  I am drawn to people like this.  People who are discerning about who enters into their lives are like award shows with elegant invitations.  I want in!  And I want to be the person who holds true to those standards so I am continually invited in.  What does that have to do with clothes?  Well, a confident person knows what he/she has under there and doesn’t need to show off to the wrong people.

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:28-33

Modesty also takes the focus off of what we wear every day or who we are trying to impress and puts it back on God.  Modesty allows the inner self to come out and shine.  The inner self gets a bad wrap sometimes if you ask me.  It is what is typically noticed after looks, but again, if you are scanning others to see who should be let in to your world, then the inner character should be second.  People shouldn’t be allowed to know everything about you in one go.  They need to work for the gold.  The true gold is your inner self.  Modesty, also, cuts out pride and shame at the same time.  Modesty brings out the best of us to ourselves and to others.  Honestly, the more in touch with God I get, the more I want to invite modest and humble people into my life.

Modesty is a beautiful thing.  It attracts others, brings about respect and love to ourselves, and impresses God.  We protect the Holy Spirit and place our focus on getting to know Him better rather than attracting others to us for the look of our bodies.  The more experienced at life I get, the more I understand that beauty is a word with so many meanings.  Beauty comes from gentleness, love, passion, creation, service, and so much more.  If only we could spend our time digging in to find the beauty that we really want, there would be much less insecurity to deal with.

4 It should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:4

Just in case you were inspired to start dressing for modesty, here are a few style round-ups that can keep you here. Modesty isn’t about oppression. Like Covenant Eyes puts it, “More often than not, modesty standards are seen as repressive, arbitrary rules that restrict a woman’s creativity and freedom. But when modesty is motivated from the heart, the exact opposite is true,” (read the article here). You can still show off your God-given beauty without giving away your purity.  Try out any of the styles below!  You can be creative and show off your inner beauty.

Here are a few ideas from damnyoulookgooddaily.com

Or these styles from exctasycoffee.com

Try these summer outfits from watchabuy.com

or visit outfitshunter.com for these treats

I hope you enjoy these sites!  They have some great options for different seasons and styles!  Be creative and show off who you are through your clothes.  Don’t forget that you still have a say, and you can still look exactly how you want even when choosing modesty.  Love yourself.  Have respect for yourself.  Focus on God.  And choose your style of modesty.