Dressing Modestly

"Women, scantily clad, who blame men for their reactions remind me of the antelope flaunting itself in front of the lion and then complaining about being eaten." - unknown

Lest you misunderstand, I am not saying here that all men are wild, ferocious beasts that can't control their manly urges. What I am saying is that it is not worth tempting the opposite sex just to show a little skin. Women dress immodestly to command attention, then they complain when they get it. The whole concept makes no sense to me.


The real reason for dressing modestly is not to protect women from the attention of men but to show reverence and respect to our bodies. Our bodies are Temples in which the Holy Spirit may dwell. The Holy Spirit will not and can not live in an unclean Temple and so we need to keep our bodies clean and show them respect. We respect our bodies by keeping them covered, dressing modestly and tastefully. We also respect our bodies by not putting dangerous substances in to them such as drugs and alcohol. Another way we respect our bodies is by not marking them up with tatoos (body graffiti) or piercing them with more than a single pair of earrings. Keeping our bodies pure and protected allows the Holy Spirit to reside within us and be our help and comfort in times of trial.


In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." Our bodies ultimately belong to God because we were created by Him. Our bodies are 'on loan' to us from our Heavenly Father and He expects and desires that we will take care of them while they are in our possession.