Yippee! Spring is here! Summer is coming! I’m glad because the flowers bloom! Cool mornings give way to warm afternoons. The trees once again bear new leaves! Everything in nature shouts, “Spring is here!”  Apart from the sights, sounds and smells of Spring, I love that I get to wear lighter clothing.

          Everywhere I go now I see people who’re also shedding their clothing. Just as the flowers, plants and trees reach for the warmth of the sun, so too does the human body long to feel the comfort of a gentle breeze and the delicious soothing touch of the sun on bare skin. Again I say yippee!!

          Rejoice and be glad in all that the Lord created and told us, is good! Do it with all your might!! And…and, while you do that, let’s not lose sight of modesty. In other words, in taking off the heavy clothes of Winter, let’s be careful and intentional NOT to take off too much. Can I get an Amen!!

          Every year we take a week of Victory Call devotions to focus on Modesty. Our united desire in writing Victory Call-generally speaking-is to call all women upward and onward toward living visibly victorious in Christ.

          Before people ever get to see our heart and life they will lay eyes on our form, our outward appearance. This too is an area that we must always seek “visible victory” for the glory of God. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

          As daughters of the Most High, let’s never be guilty of giving occasion to the flesh to parade itself before men. Let’s say yes and amen to holy, holy, holy! We represent Christ in all things, including the way in which we are willing to be exposed to the eyes of the world, in our outer garb.

          Before you go the way of stinking thinking and dismiss this VC as prudish or old-fashioned, before you get defensive, please read on. Ask yourself a simple question, “Am I blameless in this area?” Put another way, “When I purposefully dress myself in the morning, do I dress for the Lord or do I adorn myself for the praises of men, for the eyes of men, for the attention of men or women for that matter?”

          Most of us would be quick to say, “No way!! I’m a married woman! I’m engaged! I’m single and saving myself for the man the Lord may bring to me one day, and I want his eyes to be the only eyes that see any hint of my female parts.” To all those potential responses I say, “Praise the Lord!”

          Then I’ll ask another question: if your response was anywhere in the realm of the above, does a long steady examination in your own personal mirror reflect the same?

          Tomorrow, we’ll continue this discussion with the definition of modesty. It’s so easy to presume and assume that, just because we’re “Christians” we innately and inherently understand what modestly looks like. I beg to differ.

          Experience and daily observations reveal the truth. Some of us really don’t know. And some of us really don’t care. And those of us who do know and care don’t have a clue how to approach or tell our sisters who don’t.

         So, be patient. Stay with me for the next few days as we carefully and lovingly talk about modesty.

Stephanie Paul

Stephanie Paul serves as part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Director of Women’s Addiction Ministry. She has been married for almost 30 years to Sesky Paul who is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. Stephanie serves alongside him as Care Group leaders in their church. They have two grown children.
Her single focus in ministry at Keswick is to image Christ in grace and truth to wounded and hurting women, encouraging them to make Jesus the truest Lover of their soul and the One in whom all hope lies.