I will just go ahead and say it. This
thought that I've been thinking for quite sometime. I think that
people are sick and tired of hearing the word “modest”. It
sounds stuffy and antiquated. A word that should have been replaced
or done away with a long time ago. I mean really, these are the days
of “selfies”, “smartphones”, and “txting”. Let's get rid
of the archaic English words here.
Well, I'm not writing this because I
am tired of the subject modesty, or of the word itself. In fact, I'm
quite passionate about it. It's something that has been thrown by
the wayside in our modern culture, and is in desperate need of being
reclaimed. In spite of the fact that I think people are tired of
hearing about “modesty”, it is interesting to note that nearly
every time the subject is addressed, sparks fly, and just about
everyone has a pretty strong opinion about it. It's a very touchy
subject, which is why I have always been hesitant to address it. But
it is important........ it's so very important. Which is why
I'm willing to take the risk of talking about it, although my
preference is to simply be silent. :)
I think for many, the very thought of
“modesty” conjures of images of frumpy, stoic women who walk
proudly by with an air of superiority as they glance, critically, at
your clothing. This isn't the “modesty” that I'm talking
about. Often, as soon as a person hears the word modest, they
immediately relate it to clothing. But, if you look up the word in a
dictionary, you're unlikely to find much in the definition that even
talks about clothing. A quick peek in the Random House Dictionary
gave me this definition:
modest -
1. having or showing a moderate or
humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.
2. free from ostentation or showy
extravagance
3. moderate
4. having or showing a
regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
When we hear the word modesty, our
minds almost always think of how we are dressed. But if you look at
the definition, the word modesty does not exclusively address the
topic of clothing. It does apply to our clothing, but not
just to what we wear. It's describing a lifestyle that is
characterized by moderation, balance, and humility. It's not caught
up with “self”, but is free of pride and arrogance. So it's about
a whole lot more than just what we put on.
But - “modesty” does often relate
to our clothing, and on this blog, when I talk about modesty, I will
be primarily referring to what we choose to wear. So......back to my
original thought – people are tired of hearing about modesty. For
too many, modesty has become a list of rules that they'd rather not
keep, a bunch of unnecessary “don'ts”, and something to quarrel
and criticize over. Modesty is not what it should be – a matter of
the heart.
What
if we started to look at this topic from a different perspective?
What if we stopped hyper-focusing on all the things we shouldn't
wear, seeing modesty only as a list of “do's and don'ts” ? What
if, by our actions, attitudes, words, and
our clothing, we made modesty attractive and beautiful – something
to be desired and valued? What if we looked first at our hearts, and
then at our clothing? What if, without throwing out the concept of
modesty, we simply made an effort to be “lovely”?
