Walking Uprightly!

 by Patsy Norwood

How High Is Too High and How Low Is Too Low?

 He was talking to Christian women of that time period and to all Christian women who have lived since. Let’s look at this verse a little more closely and notice something.  He did not give specific guidelines for our clothing, here or anywhere else in the scriptures, such as “dresses must be a certain length” or that “blouses must be a certain color.”  He did say for those of us professing to be Christian women to dress modestly.  

What is “modest dress?”

 I’ll be the first to admit that “modest dress” on one woman may not be “modest dress” on another.  Hence the question, “How high is too high and how low is too low?”  After spending some time thinking on this matter, it occurred to me that a little common sense “thinking” could/would answer this question.    

 So ... I am answering the question of “how high is to high and how low is too low" by asking more questions.  They are listed below. Hopefully they will, if we are honest with ourselves, give us the answers we are looking for.

 Can cleavage been seen at our neckline?  If so, it’s too low.

 If, when we bend over, do we have to hold our neckline against our chest to keep someone from seeing down our blouse or dress?  If so, it’s too low.

 Can anyone see our undergarments at our neckline or through our armholes?  If so, it’s too low or our armholes are too large.

 Can our undergarments be seen through our clothing?  If so, our clothing is more than likely too thin, too light colored, or too tight.

 When we bend over, does our skirt go up above our knees in the back?  Does our blouse travel up exposing our back? If so, they are too high.

 Does our blouse/shirt allow our midriff to show or does it have narrow or thin straps?  If so, it’s too high and too low.

If, when we sit and or cross our legs, does our skirt or dress slide halfway up our thighs?  If so, it’s too high. 

 These are just a few questions to get us thinking in the right direction, I’m sure many of you can think of others that could be listed here as well.  The point is God wants our bodies covered in modest apparel. 

 There are many practical reasons why it's wise to obey this command, which we will not go into here, but what we will mention is the most important reason of all and that is that God told us to. (Remember God sees the big picture and we don't.)

 Let me interject something here, I do not believe it is wrong for women to wear pretty clothing and to feel good about what they're wearing.  God’s word gives us examples of women who were not only godly, but also beautiful and dressed accordingly.  I believe it's entirely possible for women of today to dress attractively, to feel good about ourselves, and to still obey God’s word when it comes to the way we dress. 

 Walking uprightly or for the purposes of this article, dressing modestly, was and is a choice women have had the responsibility of making since God clothed Eve after the Fall. 

What choice have you made?