Modesty

I have been recently conflicted about a Bible verse. I discovered the bead stores in Stephenville when my daughter, Kim, said “Come make a necklace with me at the bead store”. I don’t have many creative bones in my body, but I was willing to try. We each made a necklace; Kim’s was very pretty.  Her comment about mine was, it was very “Mom-like”.  I have improved since that first effort and now I really enjoy “bead therapy”, making whimsical necklaces as gifts for friends and family.  Now for the conflict:

   

 1 Peter 3:3-4   NIV

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, 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. 

I was hoping the verse I remembered prohibiting “putting on of gold jewelry” was in the Old Testament and had been made irrelevant by the new law. No such luck.

Is Peter telling us we should not wear jewelry; we should not braid our hair?  I am of the generation that did not wear makeup, jewelry, or nice clothes.  In high school I was most comfortable wearing patched old blue jeans and plaid flannel shirts. I didn’t wear jewelry anyway, so it was never a concern or an issue. When Doug and I got married, we were youngsters in college with part-time jobs. We didn’t spend money on things like fine clothes or jewelry.  It was simple to comply with Peter’s guidance to let your “adorning be the …imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit”. Now, I am older with more wrinkles and laugh lines. Jewelry is designed to attract attention and deflect notice from other areas.

Peter is not prohibiting wearing jewelry, braiding hair, and wearing fine clothes.  He is suggesting that women should not become obsessed with worldly things. Women should win their husbands to Christ with a gentle and quiet spirit, inner beauty. The current U.S. society is as obsessed with physical beauty as the ancient Greek society.  Too many girls are having cosmetic surgery to change their bodies and attract male attention.  The clothing I see young women and wives wear is much more provocative than it should be. The immodest clothing generally attracts the wrong type of attention, anyway. Women of faith should only consider the attention of men who look at a woman’s heart and character. It is important to keep in mind marriage is a life commitment and your values will be passed to your children. I recently heard a quote that fits this discussion, “Don’t marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him”.

When we were first married, my husband pointed out a blouse I was wearing was too low cut.  I would never have thought so, but since that was his opinion, it made an impression on me.  From that time to the current, I always consider whether the clothing I wear is modest enough for my husband’s judgment before I leave the house.  

I have adopted a more unconventional style of dress, recently. The new style is a little out of character for an accountant. I like the flowing skirts, shawls, scarves and layers of comfortable, light fabrics because they are reminiscent of my youth, and fun to wear with my newly created bead necklaces. Dare to be different!

Dear God, Please continue to walk with me each day. Help me to be a woman of gentle and quiet spirit. I want to be a respectable example to young wives and women, pleasing to you, and to my husband.

Sherilyn Svien

Stephenville, Texas