Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Fashion Police = Modesty Consultant ;)



I would have never known that I was dressing immodestly if no concerned brothers/sisters in Christ rebuked me.

Looking back, I begin to realize how much help a personal fashion police can give one who tries to pursue modesty for God. I was so hard-headed. I knew that there were times when I would dress immodestly and God somehow whispered to me that I'm not helping anyone with what I was wearing. I did not know that all I was waiting for was a shameful rebuke from a trusted Christian brother/sister.

The first time someone rebuked me was during my first year in our church.. A spiritually mature woman (whom I admire so much) talked to me for the pictures we posted in Facebook. I shared that story here. :)

The second time was when I became part of our church's worship ministry. I played the piano.. In the morning services, we were required to wear Sunday dresses. Not necessarily the glamorous stuff, but one has to look presentable and respectable when he's/she's on stage. I was told that as much as possible, I should not wear jeans. I did not have dresses or skirts back then.. So my involvement in ministry was the reason why I started buying dresses and skirts. Haha.

I was not so accustomed to shopping for these - I did not know what to look for in a good skirt/dress. I literally drowned in the sea of mini skirts and mini dresses in shops! So I had skirts and dresses usually mid-thigh to knee-length.. What happened when I wore them in church? Our youth pastor, who was also our musical director, told me to wear longer dresses! As much as how I felt his concern, I also felt embarrassed because I actually took a lot of time thinking of what to wear.. But today, I appreciate how he went out of his way and took the risk of telling me that I shouldn't wear those short skirts no more..
Even until today, I lived to the principles I learned from his rebuke.

The last but not the least, my guy friends, specifically Allen and Jopel, are the ones whom I had meaningful conversations about this. Jopel, being a guy himself, was really a good Christian friend to me. He took the time and effort to answer all my questions about modesty and made me realize how I should look at modesty.
I wanna thank you all! :)

Now, I wanna talk about how important a personal fashion/modesty police is.
1. Pride could cloud your judgment
        It is really hard to judge yourself because we know how biased we could be. We could ask ourselves over and over again about an attire and approve of it, only because we always answer ourselves with justification. 
2. We need a wider perspective on this.
        We do not know what goes on inside a man's mind. During the first weeks of my modesty challenge, I only assumed what guys think. When I actually talked to a lot of people and did a lot of online reading, my perspective radically changed. I realized how naive I was! Haha! 
3. We need a prayer warrior.
        Who said modesty was easy especially in this kind of culture we are immersed in? We need God's strength. We need a lot of prayers! :) 
4. We could share the heartbreaks and triumphs of pursuing modesty with them!
        Because they know how hard and humbling pursuing modesty is, they would be the shoulders we cry on when we realize at the end of the day that our attire is immodest and got uninvited stares.. They would also be the ones we could share our joys with when we overcome vanity or gain new wisdom. 
 The necklace was a gift from my sister-in-law, Ate Aimee :)
What is haggard? :P
It's nice to go back to basics once in a while. Denim pants! ;) Although, I want to try to stay away from fitted shirts. Napakinabangan yung crop top. :D
Necklace: Gift || Black Cardigan: G200 || Crop top: Eastwood Mall (shopping bonding with Ate Kamyl & Ate Ann)
Having my very own fashion police-slash-modesty consultant helps me a lot until today.
Actually, I appreciate it even more when my FP is a little less tolerant and a little more harsh! Haha! That way I learn to be humbler and open-minded in order to receive the fuller meaning of modesty.


"Let a righteous man strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it."
- Psalm 141:5

Who are the godly men and women in your life you think would be your fashion police/modesty consultant? :)

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