Modesty & Humility

Modesty begins with our attitude towards God.

As we said yesterday, humility is one of the motives for modesty. Humility recognizes the greatness of God and the smallness of me. In the context of modesty, humility seeks that others be attracted to God, rather than attracted to me. It takes humility to purposely avoid clothing that screams “LOOK AT ME!” I know! I go shopping sometimes, too! Besides the obvious worldly bent towards sensuality, it seems that any clothing article has a hidden agenda to get you noticed.

In 1 Timothy 2:9, Paul urges “that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control…”

Here is someone that explains the link between modesty & humility much better than I could. In the words of C.J. Mahaney :

“Modesty means propriety. It means avoiding clothes and and adornment that are extravagant or sexually enticing. Modesty is humility expressed in dress. It’s a desire to serve others, particularly men, by not promoting or provoking sensuality.

"Immodesty, then is much more than wearing a short skirt or low-cut top; it’s the act of drawing undue attention to yourself. It’s pride, on display, by what you wear.

"Self-control is, in a word, restraint. Restraint for the purpose of purity; restraint for the purpose of exalting God and not ourselves. Together, these attitudes of modesty and self-control should be the hallmark of the godly woman’s dress.”