Tired of "Modesty"?

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”?