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Spring and Summer Fashions

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Women Living Well Blog: Spring and Summer Fashions

Women Living Well Blog

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Spring and Summer Fashions

So the fashion magazines are at it again. They entice us with the newest and hottest summer trends and along with that they usher in a vast array of immodest and indecent clothing. Stores and malls are packed with clothes that do not cover the body in a modest way. I’ll be honest, I have those moments where I take an outfit to the dressing room, try it on, realize it’s immodest but love it. Then the war begins in my mind. “It’s not so bad. Maybe I could just wear it on vacation where no one from church would see me?”… These are tempting thoughts that end in dishonor to God if I believe them.


In Genesis 3:1-7 we see Satan tempted Eve to take the fruit. He did not put the fruit in her hand and he certainly did not put the fruit into her mouth. All Satan did was tell Eve lies and she became a believer of those lies. Then Eve saw the fruit with her eyes, took it with her hands and then ate it. Then she became Adam’s tempter.


So often we as women – first see the fashion trends and in our desire to be attractive begin to buy into the lies that immodesty is attractive. So just as Eve, we see the clothes and desire to have them. Once we have bought into Satan’s lies it won’t be long before the clothes are hanging in our closet and we are tempting men to have impure thoughts by our sinful choices.


So what is a Christian woman to do? I know most of the women reading this have heard the topic of modesty spoken on a hundred times and I don’t have much new to say on it. So let me give you a challenge.


In I Timothy 2:9 and10 we are told what to adorn ourselves with. “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety… and with good works, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”


Here’s the challenge: add a fashion accessory to your spring and summer wardrobe – "good works"! Do you have this accessory ready for the summer season???


Jerry Bridges calls good works - “deliberate deeds that are helpful to others” (The Practice of Godliness). They are acts of kindness that are evidence of our salvation. These are essential for a godly woman to have.


So here are a couple of questions I’ve borrowed from CJ Mahaney that we as women need to consider:


Which do you think about more – shopping or good works?
What are you most noticed for – what you wear or your kind deeds?
What is most eye-catching about you – your clothing or your character?


The woman who is seeking to gain attention and praise for her physical body, as an immodest woman does, is not seeking to glorify God but herself. A godly woman who is devoted to good works will reflect glory back to God.


I want to encourage you to clothe yourself with good works this spring – your inner beauty will be radiating and God will be glorified.


Walk with the King!


http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

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13 Comments:

Blogger Regina Coblentz said...

Courtney...this is really good. I do like when people talk about this issue and sometimes I wished it was talked about more in the church. Thanks for bringing it up.

April 29, 2009 at 7:39 AM  
Blogger Ingrid said...

About 5 years ago we went to Maui (my sister lives there). In Maui everyone wears bikinis and I mean everyone. I felt so out of place in my one-piece suit. So I decided to buy a bikini. During our visit my husband and I went and stayed in a hotel for a night on the other side of the island while family watched our kids. During the day we bummed around town and I wore my bikini top with cut offs. Now I normally wouldn't dress like that at home but I thought, "I am 5,000 miles away I will never in a million years see someone I know." That evening I put on a nice dress and we went out for dinner. As we were walking down the same street, as earlier in the day when I was sporting my bikini top, we bumped into a couple from our church! We were all so surprised to see each other so far from home. I was so thankful I wasn't wearing my bikini and cut-offs. It was a HUGE wake up call for me about modesty. No more bikinis!

April 30, 2009 at 9:12 AM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Daningo! Oh my goodness - that's crazy - 5,000 miles away you ran into someone you knew! Thanks for sharing your story!!! And isn't it funny the temptation to blend and fit in - we forget that causing a stranger to stumble 5,000 miles away is the same as causing the man in the pew behind you to stumble - it's all wrong! But I know the temptation exists and I've been in your shoes.

April 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM  
Blogger Joyfull said...

Great suggestions! Thanks for sharing today and for a good word and encouragement.

July 20, 2009 at 9:40 AM  
Blogger Renee said...

Could you share where you get your clothing style or inspiration from?

June 8, 2010 at 7:03 PM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Renee - I had to giggle a little with your question because my answer is so unsophisticated! Basically - I shop the sale racks. If it's under $10 and doesn't make me look fat - it's sold lol!!! That's it! No real inspiration - I'm really eclectic as a result lol!!!
Much Love,
Courtney

June 9, 2010 at 5:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Courtney - I loved this post! Thank you so much for speaking on this issue. I, too, wish that the issue of modesty was brought up more and it would be GREAT if we could talk about it more in church - wouldn't that be encouraging?! Anyways, my question was - what do you do about bathing suits? Of course I'm assuming you wear a one-piece, but do you wear anything over it? Do you have specific standards about your swimwear for yourself AND for your daughter?

August 10, 2010 at 10:58 AM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Anonymous - the swimsuit issue is the hardest one of all! To be honest, this summer I wore a one piece with a skirt - but I've hardly left my backyard in it - I've only been swimming in mixed company twice and I tend to stay in my cover up until I'm actually swimming. After swimming, I put my cover up back on.

I only lay out in the sun in my backyard and that's in my one piece and skirt - but as my son gets older it could turn into a tank top and shorts! We'll see.

Follow as God leads you - be sensitive to the Spirit while not judging others on this same journey - cause it is a hard one for me to figure out too!

Much Love,
Courtney

August 10, 2010 at 2:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Courtney, I know in your blog you said that we have heard this modesty message so many times. But I don't ever hear it from the pulpit and I certainly am not seeing modesty mentored in the churches. Many men (even in the body of Christ) struggle with keeping their thoughts pure. I know several men who hate to go to church because the one place they think they don't have to deal with impure thoughts should be IN the church - yet, this sadly is a huge battle for them. What's with women having to bare their cleavage, wearing thigh high dresses and the like? Why oh WHY isn't this addressed from the pulpit? Men are expected to keep their thoughts pure, but women are free to roam about like sex-pots luring looks from all the men. We have been visiting churches for the last two years (we have moved three times) and I'm telling you, this is a HUGE problem in the mid-west as well as in the south. Women have to wake up and realize they are stumbling their brothers and WORSE, bringing reproach on the precious and holy name of the Lord.

August 13, 2010 at 5:27 PM  
Blogger WinsomeWifey said...

Thank you Courtney! I've had those exact same thoughts in the dressing room... "I'll wear this while I'm out with my husband and no one from church will see me." This post is a great reminder of why God's word tells us we need to be modest. I find your blog so encouraging -- thank you for your ministry!

September 3, 2010 at 8:53 AM  
Blogger Tara Eveland said...

That is so true! I love this article because it just speaks what I battle with when the new fashions come out. I think to myself "oh Ill just wear this here or there, and never here or there" lol but what I need to think is "would I wear this to church" "would I wear this in front of my dad"? Im glad that other ppl have the same problem though,and that you are addressing it for all to read and think about :) god bless

February 23, 2011 at 10:30 PM  
Blogger Tara Eveland said...

Courtney, I have a question. What are your thoughts on women wearing makeup? or jewelry? In my church this is something that we just do not do. however, I am a firm believer in that a person should do what the holy spirit leads them to do. however, many people take this very seriously and think some are less than "holy" or "feminine" if they do not wear dresses, no makeup, and have long hair. just curious what your thoughts are. thanks

February 23, 2011 at 10:47 PM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Tara - Man looks at the outward appearance but God judges the heart. It is my heart that I am most concerened about...so make-up is not a huge concern to me. Some who wear it may be sinning because they are discontent with themselves or looking for attention - while others may wear it to please their husband...vice versa - some may not wear it to "appear" better than others in their pride - while others may humbly abstain to honor their husband.

So it's the heart that matters.

Love,
Courtney

February 24, 2011 at 7:46 PM  

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