It's that time again. You know, that time when we all say that we are going to change something drastically in our lives, call it a new years resolution and by February, we don't even remember what it was! haha.
I am not doing that...I never really do, but I am determined to work on something this year. More of a focus than a resolution. I would like to choose something each year to just kind of work on and make more of a strong presence in our lives. This year, I really want to focus on teaching my girls about modesty. Obviously, this is something that can't be taught in one lesson and it will be something that continues for years to come...I get that!
1 Timothy 2:9-10
"I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
I feel very strongly that this is something that we need to teach our girls from a very young age or it will be super hard later on. Just like any other good habit, they should be in the habit of dressing appropriately.
When I look to the future, I think about how I want them to be perceived by young men and then by the man they will someday marry.
There is always that classic TV show where the teenage daughter comes downstairs dressed in something tight and revealing and the father says, "young lady, go upstairs and put on a different outfit...you are NOT leaving the house dressed like that". While that is all good and everything, I would LOVE to see my daughters choose the right outfit first. (And also...someone had to buy those inappropriate clothes?!?!?!?!?)
So, the question now is, how? How do I teach my girls that their body is a gift from God. How do I teach them in a loving way (and a way that is appropriate for a 5, 4 and 1 year old) that God made male's different than females and dressing inappropriately can cause their brother to stumble? How can I teach them that just because a certain shirt looks great on them, doesn't' mean that they should wear it?
I mean...aren't these lessons that most of us adults could stand to hear too?
When I walk into the store these days, I am shocked by the number of clothes in my daughters sizes that I would never allow them to wear. They are drawn to the sparkles, glitter, bows and fun things on the clothing but do not yet know the importance of how they should dress themselves.
I want them to understand that they can dress nicely, and even be in style, all while glorifying God.
So, anyways...this has been a lot of rambling but this will be my focus this year...so that it is a great habit to continue teaching in the years to come.
I would love to hear any comments below on how you walk this path with your own daughters!
I'm laughing here thinking about my friend with an 10 year old- who when getting ready for church one day said, "Mom, I feel so immodest in this!!" I laugh thinking about it but sigh in relief as well knowing that at that young age she already feels that conviction about the clothes she wears!
ReplyDeleteGreat post- I agree. It's so hard at these young ages to find decent clothing- but even at a young age, I just get rid of clothes that I wouldn't let my daughter wear if she were a teen- sure, bikini's and spaghetti straps look cute at age 3 but at what point does "cute" turn into inappropriate? That's why I have set standards from the beginning according to my personal convictions. I figure it will be easier to start now....