Lesson of the Day:

   

    Hear the Correction, spread the word: 
                

  As I have said before, we cannot intrinsically know what is or is not modesty because we are women. Yes we can learn, but we will never have a man's mind.

   We need to be open for correction. No, even better, we need to look for correction. Ether way, the subject of modesty needs to be brought up!  Even after studying the issue of modesty, I still find myself being corrected. Modesty cannot be an embarrassing subject. If it is, then girls, we are DOOMED.

 I will be your boost but I cannot be with you every step of the way.    

  So, let someone in on your modesty goals.  

  When the time comes, and you are following all the modesty rules, but the outfit still doesn't feel right (trust me, this time will come),  you will have someone to talk to.       (0= 

                                           

  From experience I will tell you, there is always one more outfit in the closet.

                               

 As you walk this road it will help to have a male influence to help you over the tough spots. When I say "male influence"  I don't mean your Guy friend from youth group.... No I mean your Dad!  Or your Big Brother! Someone you would consider a mentor. I have let my whole family in on my modesty. My mom is really helpful, too.   It might be hard to find a person who will agree with your modesty. I have even heard of a Pastor who said that if we are too modest we are being legalistic...  OBVIOUSLY, I disagree.  It is because of pastors like this that I say we as women need to take a stand. Maybe God has a plan for you that includes standing up for this black and white idea that is not popular.

                                          

                                         

   It’s also good to have another girl to make you feel less, alone. Tell your girlfriends about modesty.  Send them to my blog if it seems hard to explain.  

 Make modesty a TEAM SPORT, spread the word!     If you tell your friends about modesty and it turns out to be a really cool conversation, comment on this blog and tell me how it goes.       

  If I can't be with you every step of the way I will be your backbone. When it starts to get a little hard, come back to this blog.  You are not the only one out there trying to be modest, 
That’s what I’m here for.  That's what your here for! 
Modesty is Confidence!

YOU CAN DO IT!!! 
<3

~Grace~

                                                                              

Wake Up Call!

   

   When modest women get dressed every day we try to dress in a way that does not tempt men... Christian men who have morals and ethics that we understand.    
We tend to forget all the men who don't have any morals. The ones who freely imagine things that we purposefully cover up.  THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. The world gives them excuses to do this and has made it normal.   In this age, a big part of your beauty (in their minds) is your body. But I will not advertise my body, giving "samples" to every man I meet. I will not be subject to men who are so assumptive as to think that I want them to whistle as I walk down the street... or the ones who stare or make vulgar comments to friends... or the ones who look you up and down like it's a compliment, an approval of what you are selling, as if, in a sense, to cast their bid!
I despise them and occasionally have the urge to 
punch them in the face! 
Sorry. Back to maturity.

What I am trying to get across is that we need to be confident enough to think these thoughts about misled men, so that we don't need them in order to feel beautiful.   

  

I AM BEAUTIFUL!

SO ARE YOU! 

Believe it and make a change so you don't stoop to their level. Cover up!!!   

Don't give them dirt! They don't deserve it!  

 If this doesn't make you want to be modest I don't know what will!

     You do not have to put up with it... Come on! we are smarter than that!

   
 I know this blog was a bit....harsh.  But I think sometimes we all need a little wake up call.   

   

Grace

    

   

Difference between "Skimpy" and "Figure Flattering"

        Ok girls, there is nothing wrong with wanting to show your figure, but every inch of it does not need to be emphasized in order to prove that it is there.  Girls are made with an obviously curvy body, and there is a very fine line between figure flattering and skimpy.
       As women, we want to be feminine, to do this there are some very simple additions we can make to an outfit that accomplishes that goal without showing our every curve... (0=
          

     A Belt ~   This is the best thing that I can recommend to show your figure while being modest. I have a gazillion of them!  They are a very simple and stylish addition that will accentuate your feminine waist. They are also a great way to change up your wardrobe a bit.

 High shouldered tops ~  Although out of some of our comfort zones,  puffs on the end of your shoulders or thin shoulder pads will give you a sort of chic feminine confidence.      

 ~ Below or mid-waist flare ~   
This is a very bold way of saying, 
"I AM A WOMAN"

... Plain. Simple.  

  
  
  ~waist high skirts~  

I wear this this type of skirt most of the time. 

Waist high skirts accomplish femininity, and modesty in a very figure flattering way.

                                                                                                           

Some times you don't need to accentuate your figure at all. If  you are confident, a bright colored shift dress, like this one, will do just fine.... Just keep your shoulders back and smile. 

I do not want anyone to read this and turn it around.  

The only reason we need to show our figure is to make it clear to the world that we are women and we are proud of it.   If you don't feel a need to show your figure in order to feel feminine, I will encourage you not to.

<3

~Gracie~

What are the Boundaries of Modesty?

    DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW???  Before you read this, please stop and think... Do you really want to be modest?  If so you will be open to every suggestion I make . If you want God to give you His favor you need to put a little effort in yourself.
       If you start early it isn't hard at all. If you are in your teens or older, like I was, it will be a tad bit harder, as you will need to purchase a few mandatory garments, and will more than likely find some things in your closet to be thrown away.
       I am a girl so I cannot instinctively tell you what is considered modest. But I do have a very outspoken big brother, and I have researched a great deal in the matter. The things I will say are straight from the mouths of boys... I don't make assumptions.
                
     After much evaluation I have tried to bring it down to this simple guideline.   (0=
   
     Once I explain modesty, I will show you different ways to follow through with your new conviction in a few separate posts, so please don't be discouraged with the extent of what modesty is. Just stay-tuned....   (0=
     
               

MODESTY BOUNDARIES:

     Upper half:             

•   NO CLEAVAGE!!! One thing that is very easily lost in translation, is the "coverage of the bust"... How low is to low?   Your top should not fall more than 4 closed fingers from the bottom of your collar bone. (larger busted women will need it a bit higher)
  

  
•   Shoulders should be completely covered. Yes girls, that means NO tank tops. Your sleeves must reach the end of your shoulders at the least. Cap sleeves are preferable.
  
  
•   The size of your shirt does matter. Do not be fooled by the notion of "as long as there is no skin it is modest". Not true. Think of it this way, when a gift has a very distinctive shape we always wrap it in a way that the receiver of the gift can't tell what it is until they open it. You should Cover your body as if you are wrapping a gift  for the one and only man who is willing to commit his life to you. A good way to make sure of this is to do the belly button check... (0=  If  you can see the concave of your belly button then the shirt is too tight. Now, sometimes you will find a shirt that no matter how loose it is, it will still show your belly button. In this case you need to wear a tank top underneath. 

•   We should also be careful of  the attention the shirt brings to your bust. I cannot give you a clear rule about this, but I will say that for the sake of the guys,we need to try to draw the least attention to our bust as possible.

Lower half:

•   To be truly modest, the legs need to be covered to the bottom of the knee cap. When I wear loose-fitting skirts, sometimes they will come to the top of my knees. Thick leggings/tights do change the rule by about an inch.  But remember, we are wrapping a gift.  (0= 

• You're pants need to be loose enough on your behind that they do not show.........your butt.  Pants are another thing "lost in translation".  I personally would much rather live in the time when all women wore dresses...  ):  Unfortunately, one woman decided that she wanted men and women to be treated the same, in turn she dressed the same as men, and she changed the world.    Google it.

      Even so I have decided that I will wear skirts, 
or very loose-fitting pants/capris for the rest of my life. This is less a modesty thing but more a Bible thing. God wrote in the Bible that "men shall not wear women's clothes and women
 shall not wear men's clothes."  I realize that this verse may only be speaking against cross-dressing, but it made me realize how closely men and women do dress.
 Therefore, I am going to be as feminine
 as I possibly can, even if that means wearing skirts in the winter...  (0=  


I used to wear pants that were thick enough that they didn't look saggy when they were loose, they still held there shape and didn't make me feel frumpy. If you really think hard, you will realize how much you are sharing with the world when you wear tight jeans. I personally will not do it.   

• When I do wear skinny jeans that show my figure, I make sure to where a dress-like shirt that covers my butt well, over top.                         

                            

• I wear high-heels all the time. I have been told two things, one is that 3 inches or more is too high and draws too much attention to our legs, and two is that high-heels make no difference at all. I have drawn the conclusion that not all boys have the same thought process. Also, the way you walk has a very large impact. The rule I have made for myself is that any shoes that are higher than 3 inches cannot be stilettos, unless they are worn with pants. And I try to keep my hips as straight as possible when walking in them. 

These are a really cute alternative to stelettos.

These are a great neutral pair of shoes that will go well
with quite a few outfits in your closet.

    I love these, if at all possible a splash of
 color will bring style to most outfits.

         

•  One last thing... If you have to bend the rule, it is immodest.The smallest bit of skin can make a boy stumble. Can the men out there just say "this is to hard" and give up on keeping his mind pure? Think of how hard it is to be a boy in this world and make a decision. Is it worth it? wearing that small skirt? Is it worth one boys purity?   

The next time you have to pull your dress really hard to get it to barely reach your knees, think of your brothers...They need our help.


I pray my words are taken into consideration.

  

                                                                        ~GRACE~
         

  


      
     

Cute Striped Dress

Proof that striped patterns are not our enemy...   Big bags are in!!!!    I LOO these shoes.   (0=
And from experience, dresses like these will almost always need a slip... ) =

Why be Fashionable?

   The Bible says in I Corinthians  9:19-23 " Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law, (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that I might win a few.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in it's blessing".

    I believe this verse is saying to be like the people, not of them. Meaning: I should wear the clothing the world wears, I should eat there food, I should talk like them, all these things are not sins.  If me wearing a stylish outfit makes a young girl more likely to respect me, therefore, making her more likely to respond to what I say about God... I will try to always dress stylishly. 

  

  I live my life for Christ.  Everything I do I want to point back to Him.  I have always tried to dress stylishly, but I didn't realize, until recently, that I was obeying the Bible in doing so.  I think that Christians should take fashion more seriously.  it is more important than we really know. 

        

My Daddy tells the story of the missionary Hudson Taylor. The founder of the China Inland Mission in the early 1800s, this man was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country, resulting in 18,000 Christian conversions. Missionaries from all over the world tried and failed to reach the people of China due to the fact that they refused to wear anything but a suit and tie. When Hudson Taylor began his mission to China, he was convinced that the only way he would save the people was if he was willing to affirm their culture. In his own words he said, "Let us in everything not sinful become like the Chinese, that by all means we may save some.".....

The Bible says it, Hudson Taylor lived it, and I believe it...

Let us in everything not sinful become like those of this world,

that by all means we may save some. 

~GRACE~

Casual Outfit on a Sunny Day