Are you thinking, It is not that big a deal! I have the right to dress how I want. Besides, I still don't like the word modesty. It sounds like long dresses and bonnets—something I won't be wearing anytime soon, thank you.

If you're still a little skeptical of the whole modesty thing, ask yourself this question: Why do I get dressed in the morning, anyways?

Duh! I get dressed so I'm not walking around naked! OK, so that would be the obvious answer to the first question. But have you ever thought about dressing as something you do to glorify God in your life? It may seem like something so small and irrelevant to a deep and spiritual relationship with God, but it's not. As Christians, our goal in life should be to bring glory to God in every single thing we do, whether it's as small as getting dressed in the morning or deciding whether or not to have sex before marriage.

It does not bring God glory when we dress to show off our bodies. I don't care if God gave you the longest, skinniest legs out there—you still aren't bringing God glory if you only cover six inches of them! However, it does bring glory to God when we dress in a way that we know will not cause a guy's mind to stumble. I think if we really love God with all of our hearts, we would willingly put forth the effort to glorify Him in this way, as small as it may seem.

I think there are two big reasons why girls dress for attention that relate to things I've talked about earlier: 1) they're trying to fill their void with a guy's attention that actually only God can fill and 2) they have a poor self-image in the first place and they want to get a guy to affirm the way they look to boost their confidence (Satan's trap of affirmation). I think that's why it's so important that we make sure we set those things straight in our lives—filling the void with Christ's love and realizing who we are in Him and how He sees us. When these two parts of our lives are in the wrong place and out of harmony with God's thinking, it's going to be a lot easier for us to immediately give in to the temptation to dress immodestly to satisfy that desire to fill our emptiness or get an extra boost of self-confidence that comes from a whistling guy.

When you get down to it, it's all about remembering Who we're living for, like Paul did back when I was talking about contentment.¹ He kept the finish line in mind and He never forgot Who gave him each breath, and Who saved him from death. And he always remembered Who it was he was trying to bring glory to: God. When we remember that our ultimate goal in life is to please God and listen to His commands for our lives, it will become an easier thing to bring honor to God when we're choosing the clothes that we wear. And don't forget His two greatest commands: loving Him first and then loving others as we love ourselves. The biggest way to bring God honor when we choose what clothes to buy is choosing clothes that will protect the minds of our brothers in Christ. When we dress this way, it is an outward expression of our love for our Savior!

Dressing modestly is also an outward expression of our love for others, as it helps to protect the guys around, Christian or not, from impurity. Dressing to cause a guy to stumble is not loving at all and goes against God's second greatest commandment. Do we love God? Do we have a passion for His purpose? Is our heart's desire really to follow and please Him? If these things are true, then we will have the love of God in our hearts for others and act on it.

So can we dress modestly while still looking stylish and cute? Of course! Trust me, it's possible! The cutest clothes are not always butt-hugging, midriff-baring and cleavage exposing. Remember, there's nothing wrong with wearing something cute and looking nice. When we're put together in an outfit we really feel good in we feel more confident and there's nothing wrong with that. We just have to stay responsible and be honest when we get ready to go out. Besides, I'm sure I'm not the only one to think that way-too tight shirts and super-short minis don't look all that cute and flattering anyways. I would much rather be more covered up while flattering my body shape at the same time in a proper way.

Are you willing to let God take control of this area in your life? Are you going to prove trustworthy to God by fighting for the purity of heart and mind of your brothers in Christ? Are you willing to go against the flow of culture and dress to honor God?

Excerpted from Confessions of a Girl: Truth to Be Told. Copyright © 2005 by Tessa Hershberger. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

¹Refers to the Apostle Paul of the Bible's New Testament. In an earlier portion of her book, the author addresses the issue of materialism versus true contentment. Share