My Story To Modesty

The subject I want to talk about is something that is important. I’m going to share my own testimony of how the Lord convicted me on the subject and also share from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy why we as men, women, young, & old need to follow dress reform. Now I am sure some of you are wondering if this is something that is really important, I would encourage you to do your own reading on the subject from the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, there is also a really great book about it called Thy Nakedness by Gwen & Rick Shorter; that book goes into the history of dress and how we came to where we are today and proves how the Lord would want His children to dress.

First, I will start with my own testimony, then I’m going to talk about why this is so important. Ever since I was a little girl, I always loved dressing up in skirts and dresses, it was always something I liked to do, even at that young age it made me feel like a lady. I didn’t always wear dresses and skirts when growing up, I wore pants, shorts, & capris.

Then when I became a teenager, every time, I wore pants I started to feel more and more uncomfortable; I felt like everyone was staring at me. I shot up fast and was tall, so finding pants that fit my waist and length was difficult, to say the least. Wearing jeans was awful, they were so uncomfortable and I just kept on wishing that I didn’t have to wear any of these. I couldn’t explain then why I kept feeling uncomfortable but I realize now that the Lord was working on my heart.

I finally thought of a solution to my problem, although I realize now the thought came from the Lord, back then I just thought it was the answer to me feeling more comfortable. I thought it would be a great idea to start wearing dresses and skirts all the time, so I went to my mother and I asked her to make me some skirts. She at first tried to talk me out of it, at this time she wasn’t convicted and didn’t know about dress reform (neither did I), but when I wouldn’t give the idea up, she relented, and we went to fabric store and got some material. I found out later that she was doing this to appease me and was hoping that I would outgrow this idea and get tired of it. I’m so thankful that she was willing to do this for me, she could have easily have told me, no, but she listened to my reasonings and after trying unsuccessfully to talk me out of it she agreed to take time out of her busy schedule to make me a few skirts.

The first day I started wearing skirts was a relief, I absolutely loved it, I had never felt more liberated and truly like myself. I no longer felt gangly and like people were staring at me, from that day to this I have never stopped and it has been over 9 years since then. I tried to convince my mother to join me and was really excited about how I felt and wanted her to experience it as well. My mother, on the other hand, was not so inclined to join me.

For three weeks she continued on the same as before, and I was 3 weeks into wearing skirts when one morning she came out of her room wearing a skirt. I started to slowly smile, when my mother said something to this effect, “Now don’t get excited, I’m just going to try this out, and if I’m not able to work in this then I’m going back to wearing pants, this may not last.” In my mind and heart, I felt like she wouldn’t turn back, and I was praising the Lord that she was now joining me.

I waited to see what she would do, I waited to see if she would turn back to wearing pants. At that time, she was working out of the home as a caregiver for the elderly and she was afraid that a skirt would get in the way; she also thought it would be too hot to work in a skirt, but it proved to help keep her cool and it didn’t get in the way of her working any more than if she were wearing pants. From that day on she too never wore pants again.

A few weeks later, or sometime later I’m not sure how long it was, but someone referred us to read the book, Thy Nakedness and so we did and the more we read the more we were amazed at how the Lord was leading in our lives. The more we studied it out the more convicted we became that what we were doing was right and what we were supposed to be doing.

Years later we discovered that we should to be equally covered with our extremities so once again we changed the way we dressed, we now began to wear long-sleeved shirts even in the summer and leggings to cover our legs and socks to cover our feet, even in the summer. The first summer was rough for my mother she had to work through it but when the second summer rolled around, she found that it didn’t bother her and that the clothes acted as somewhat of an air conditioner and now when we put our sleeves up to do a chore, we feel the difference on our skin and it feels a bit chilly.

Even before I learned about covering my extremities, I would always feel a little weird when summer came around it was time to change into short sleeves, my arms felt a bit bare and I felt exposed somehow, the feeling went away after a few weeks, but it would come back occasionally and I never understood why until I studied it out.

That is how I got started wearing skirts, the Lord made me uncomfortable and I am so glad that I listened to His prodding and didn’t ignore the feelings He was giving me. The Lord gave me those feelings for a reason and it wasn’t until I studied the subject out that I realized that He was leading me to do what was right.

In the Bible when Adam and Eve sinned, they realized that they were naked, they weren’t naked before the Light of God was surrounding them like a robe but after they sinned that Light departed from them and they felt the difference. In order to cover themselves they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves aprons, and as we all know aprons do not cover a lot of skin. The Lord didn’t leave them like that after He sacrificed the very first lamb, the Lord took the fleece and made the coats to cover their nakedness. The Lord could have made them aprons made out of the fleece but He didn’t – that wasn’t good enough, he made them coats. – coats that would cover them and would reveal their nakedness.

Time ebbed away and with sin in the world, it didn’t take long for the dress to change from what the Lord had given them. Even back then you knew who a harlot was by what she wore. The only problem with today’s world is that more and more women are dressing in that way that it is sometimes hard to know a harlot from a woman with a regular job.

It isn’t just women who have a problem with what they wear. The Lord gave both Adam and Eve proper clothes to wear. Men nowadays show off their nakedness as well, it doesn’t seem to matter. We as a nation have gotten used to seeing the nakedness it isn’t scandalizing anymore. Men wear tight-fitting clothes, take their shirts off and some even dress like women, and vice versa women dressing like a man.

Back in the day, women couldn’t even show an ankle, if they did it was considered improper and not acceptable. Now people can go around almost naked and the world doesn’t care. How very sad indeed that it has come to this.

The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy are very clear that men and women should not wear that which pertains to the opposite gender.

In this style of dress God’s order has been reversed, and his special directions disregarded. Deuteronomy 22:5. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” This style of dress, God would not have his people adopt. It is not modest apparel, and is not at all fitting for modest, humble females who profess to be Christ’s followers. God’s prohibitions are lightly regarded by all who would advocate the doing away of the distinction of dress between males and females. The extreme positions taken by some dress-reformers upon this subject cripple their influence. {2SM 477.8}

God designed there should be a plain distinction between male and female dress, and has considered the matter of sufficient importance to give explicit directions in regard to it; for the same dress worn by both sexes would cause confusion, and great increase of crime. St. Paul would utter a rebuke, were he alive, and should behold females professing Godliness with this style of dress. “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing Godliness) with good works.” The mass of professed Christians utterly disregard the teachings of the Apostles, and wear gold, pearls and costly array. {2SM 478.1}

(Look up this quote and continue reading from that chapter it has a lot to say about dress)

I saw that God’s order has been reversed, and His special directions disregarded, by those who adopt the American costume. I was referred to Deuteronomy 22:5: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” God would not have His people adopt the so-called reform dress. It is immodest apparel, wholly unfitted for the modest, humble followers of Christ. {1T 421.2}

There is an increasing tendency to have women in their dress and appearance as near like the other sex as possible, and to fashion their dress very much like that of men, but God pronounces it abomination. “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety.” 1 Timothy 2:9. {1T 421.3}

Those who feel called out to join the movement in favor of woman’s rights and the so-called dress reform might as well sever all connection with the third angel’s message. The spirit which attends the one cannot be in harmony with the other. The Scriptures are plain upon the relations and rights of men and women. Spiritualists have, to quite an extent, adopted this singular mode of dress. Seventh-day Adventists, who believe in the restoration of the gifts, are often branded as spiritualists. Let them adopt this costume, and their influence is dead. The people would place them on a level with spiritualists and would refuse to listen to them. {1T 421.4}

Eating, drinking, and dressing are carried to such excess that they become crimes, and are among the marked sins of the last days, and constitute a sign of Christ’s soon coming. Time, money, and strength, which are the Lord’s, but which He has entrusted to us, are wasted in needless superfluities of dress, and luxuries for the perverted appetite, which lessen vitality and bring suffering and decay. It is impossible to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God, when they are filled with corruption and disease by our own sinful indulgence. {CD 61.2}

She has much more to say on the subject of dress, I highly encourage you to search it out in her writings, if you have the app or the CD-ROM you can easily type in dress, & dress reform, etc. I typed in “that which pertaineth to a man” and looked at the quotes that I got from that hit and the first few hits were what I posted here. You can also look up extremities and it would give you quotes about how we should have equal covering.

The Lord gave E. G. White clear counsel on what men and women should wear, if you love the Lord then this is a very important message to apply and do. That quote above made it clear that if we are dressing like the world then we may as well forget about the Third Angel’s Message because if we aren’t dressing right then people will not want to hear what we have to say. Not only that, but our own salvation is at risk, the Bible says to be in the world but not of it, if we dress like them then we are of the world and partaking in it.

Those are just a few quotes, there are many about this subject and I could easily post a few more blogs about this subject, but I’m hoping you get the point I’m trying to make. As always research this subject out for yourself, study and pray with an open heart and ask the Lord what He would have you to do.

Women we have a responsibility not only to God but also to our fellow man not to lead him into temptation, if we are dressing in a way that is going to make that man think lustfully, then it is just as much our sin as it is his. Men you have a responsibility as well, women are not immune to how a man looks. This goes both ways. We should not be a stumbling block for our brother or sister in Christ.

We need to be witness wherever we go. I have been stopped a few times by people who ask me what faith I am because they see me dressed the way I do, yet they know I’m not Amish or one of the other faiths that dresses modestly and by that I have had the opportunity to witness. I praise the Lord for those encounters and I pray that the Lord continues to let it be a witness.

It is really rewarding when we follow God’s pathway. When I started wearing skirts I felt right and I knew I could never go back to the way I had been doing things before. I started to feel more like a lady and I found that men were more respectful of me, they would open doors for me where they didn’t for a woman who was wearing pants. This has happened to me on many occasions and it wasn’t until a few years ago that I came up with the theory that since I was dressed respectfully the men felt more inclined to treat me that way. Now I’m not saying that men don’t open doors for women who wear pants because there are gentlemen out there who were raised to do that for a woman regardless, but it just seems to me that it happened more often when I was dressing like a woman. I’m not the only woman in who has said that either, I have had several discussions with women who got that same feeling.

When we do what is right the Lord blesses us, and I have never regretted the decision to start wearing a skirt or a dress. People often ask me how I do things in a skirt or dress, I tell them that there are different skirts and dresses for different things, and I always wore leggings underneath so that no skin is showing. I tell them that if there is something that I can’t do in a skirt then maybe I shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. I have hiked up mountains, ridden horses, gone swimming, and done other activities all while wearing a skirt or dress and I have never once had a problem, the secret is finding a skirt that is right for each of those activities. I learned through trial and error but the Lord lead me through and now I know what goes with what.

Don’t be afraid of what people will say to you, I have had my fair share of scorn, disbelief, and people making fun of me for it. I don’t care what other people think or say because I know that what I am doing is pleasing to the Lord, and I am proud that I am able to witness in such a way. I’m also glad that I’m not revealing anything I shouldn’t, my body is the Lord’s temple and the only person who has the right to look at your body is your husband or wife.

In heaven we will also be given robes, we are to prepare for heaven here on this Earth. So why would it be okay to dress inappropriately down here? We definitely won’t be dressing immodestly in heaven, and the angels and all the unfallen worlds aren’t dressed like that now either. That is a solemn thought, don’t you think so?

I pray that you will read more on this subject and study it out. Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me at: astarwitness@gmail.com if you want further information about any subject or have Bible questions. Blessings!

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