The Better Punishment...

All day my heart has been convicted and mind has been racing.  A few months ago in May, the subject of Modesty was put on my heart, my eyes were opened to this situation, and the struggle young men have when a girl is dressed immodestly.  Now this isn't a post aimed at anyone, but if you feel it is then you might want to look at your heart.

In the beginning of the year (I think) my church did a sermon on saving your self for you future spouse.  One of the points made was that, cheating on your spouse before you know them is just like cheating on them after you know them.  I know in my heart that there is a man out there whom God has made specially for me, so why would I want to go giving myself away, to other men?  It doesn't really make sense.  I have never seen purpose in the whole "Dating-Game"  I don't see the point in dating multiple people only to go through 5 people and realize none of them were for you.  I would rather wait.

Dressing modestly has the same concept.  Why should I go around showing off everything I have to offer to other guys who mean nothing to me?  Not only is it un-needed but it is also a stumbling block to my brothers in Christ.  How can they look at me as their sister in Christ if they can't look at me without feeling tempted, or have their eyes drawn to the wrong places.  Luke 17: 1-4 says "And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

So why cause your brother in Christ to sin, by having lust full thoughts over something that should be saved for your future spouse?  It's pretty serious stuff when a better punishment would be having a millstone tied to your neck and be chucked into the ocean to drown.  

Modesty isn't just in the way we dress though.  It's also in the way we carry ourselves, the things we say and the way we act.  Dressing modestly is a good place to start, but it goes deeper then looks.  It takes examining of the heart to get to a place, to understand all the damage you do when you dress, act, and talk, immodestly.  I can see the damage but it takes a lot to understand it.  Men, are visually stimulated.  Even something as simple as seeing a bra strap, or a necklace that hangs down to far on your chest, seeing the smallest sections of your stomach, or the slightest part of your thighs to take their minds in every direction possible.  It's how their minds were wired, and it's a daily temptation that they have to fight.  So why make it harder on them?  If they are our brothers in Christ we should love them, and want the best.  So we should dress our best, modestly and have pure hearts.

I apologize if this post seems kind of scattered, it's filled with everything that has been on my mind today.   I would love to hear your thoughts and views on this subject!

God Bless,
Alyssa