Fig Leaves

        When was the last time you wore fig leaves? In Genesis 3, shortly after creation and the fall of humanity, we find Adam and Eve cowering in the garden, hiding from God. When God inquires where they are, Adam answers in verse 10: “And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.”

            In Genesis 3:11a, God asks Adam, “Who told you that you were naked?” Both parites see and agree upon the fact that Adam and Eve are naked. Yet in Genesis 3:7 we find that the pair attempted to cover themselves before this encounter. “Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” If you look carefully, the text says that Adam and Eve were “naked” in 3:7 (when they truly were completely naked), then (even after making and covering themselves with loincloths) it reiterates that they are still naked in verses 10-11.   

            In fact, this nakedness is so prevalent that God Himself makes them more appropriate coverings and for the first time in Scripture it refers to Adam and Eve as being clothed. Genesis 3:21 says, “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” By power of simple deduction, we can see that God did not consider them clothed with simply the loincloths! They were still naked! This displeased God and therefore he made them more sufficent coverings. Many concordances agree that these coverings covered from the waist to the thigh fully. Dictionary.com defines the thigh as “the part of the lower limb in humans between the hip and the knee.”

            We can see this same description in the Word of God. Exodus 20:26 says about the priests, “And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.” If the priests walked up steps, their thighs would have been exposed to those beneath them and God saw this as nakedness! Exodus 28:42 also reiterates this point: “You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs (emphasis mine).”Additionally, in Isaiah 47:2-3 we see that the stripping off of one’s robe and  “uncovering [your] legs” would result in their “nakedness [being] uncovered.”

            What a difference you can see if you just bring up that mental picture in your mind. Leaves versus full coverings! Adam and Eve thought that just by covering their most private areas they were fully dressed, but God showed them they had to cover much more in order to be pleasing to Him.

I think there is a great lesson to be learned from this that still applies today. Isaiah 55:8 tells us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

            Do some within the church still commit this same sin today? We all know the answer is yes. Sadly, you can log onto facebook and before you know it (and without even looking for it), you will see a picture of a Christian in a bikini, if not multiple pictures from multiple Christians in this situation. How discouraging and dissapointing this is! We have really missed the mark on this one if we truly believe God accepts that as holiness. Just covering our most private areas will not cut it, just like it didn’t in the time of Adam and Eve! We serve the same God that they did, and He has the same expectations for modesty today that He did then! We should not fool ourselves into believing any differently.

As we consider modesty, there are three key areas we should focus on: our master, our motivation, and our mission.

1) Our Master

This should be our first and foremost consideration in every area and aspect of our lives! The number one reason we choose modesty (or to be pure in any other area, for that matter!) is because we love God! As my sister (or brother), I care about your soul and want to help encourage you towards holiness as we are told in the Scriptures. Titus 2:4-5 reminds, “Older women likewise...so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure...”

 I’m only twenty five so I know most people wouldn’t consider me “older”, but there are girls younger than me that are looking to my example! I am to teach them! We all are. The reason we act in modesty and teach modesty is not because it is easy or fun (it really isn’t with the world we live in), but rather because we love the Lord so much! Let us honor Him with our choices and realize that purity, modesty, and holiness go hand in hand.

2) Our Motivation

“I really don't think that crosses the line...” Have you ever heard this phrase used when talking about clothing? We have to be very careful about our motivations in everything in life and this includes dress! What are our motives behind dressing? If we are looking for a line, we are not looking for God’s will. Why would we want to get as close to the line as we can, only to trip and fall over it (and into temptation and possibly sin)? Sisters, we should strive to be more modest than necessary, not less! We should have two key motivations in dressing and that should be to honor Christ and to protect our brothers. We are either helping the church with our dress or hindering a brother from worshipping properly, serving on the table, etc.

3) Our Mission

           

Do others know that you are a Christian before you ever open your mouth? 1 Timothy 2:9-10 exhorts: “Likewise also, that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control...with what is proper for a woman who professes godliness with good works.” Our dress should profess godliness before we ever speak! In fact, there will be many people in our lifetime that we see only once and may not get the chance to speak to. How will that person you see on the subway or in the supermarket remember you? Our influence matters!

I love how verse ten of 1 Timothy says “with modesty and self-control”. Do we ever consider self-control as we buy clothes? Sometimes there is going to be that great sale. You may even have a really good coupon or a gift card. Many times something is going to be so cute! So stylish! So in fashion! And so immodest. We have to learn self-control in our choices. Now let me pause here to say that I am a huge believer in fashion. I wouldn’t want you to be frumpy! I love cute accesories and how you can express yourself through them. One of my good friends always has the cutest shoes you have ever seen and I love it! But we have to make the decision of what comes first in our lives: Christianity or culture?  Loving God must also come before comfort. If this article of clothing does not reflect my mission in life (to go to Heaven and bring as many people with me as possible!) then I need to say no! Souls must be our top priority! Many Christians today claim they would give God their life, but they won’t even give Him their wardrobe! We must choose to make this a priority so that we can be with our Lord forever. In Ephesians 5:25-27, we read that Christ died for the church... can’t we dress for it?

_{practical pointers}

§  Buy a full-length mirror and use it daily. Before leaving the house, check your outfit. Bend over, sit down, and check every possible angle you might find yourself in. Make sure as you change positions, your outfit will not. When you do go out, be aware of your outfit. Hold your shirt in place when you bend over and check yourself to make sure things are where they should be.

§  Buy a small, lightweight sweater to wear that is versatile. I recommend buying one in white, black, gray, and brown so you can match virtually anything. Make sure it stays on your shoulders well and doesn’t fall off. Adding this to any outfit where your shoulders aren’t completely covered (even if it is modest) will save you a lot of time and energy spent making sure your bra straps stay in place.

§  Think ahead for the most awkward of situations (40mph gusting winds and the like). These things do happen. Are you prepared? Wear cut off leggings underneath dresses to make sure that in the uncom-fortable situation where your dress tries to fly above your head, the only thing that will be shown is how modest you are!

§  Start young! As stated in an excellent dvd produced by World Video Bible School on modesty, “little girls turn into little women.” This is so true! What we teach them now will be what impacts them for the rest of their lives!

§  News alert to women! Your worth is not in the size you wear! Go up one or two if you need it (and so you can breathe and be modest). Don’t get caught up in the numbers!

§  Layer pieces that would otherwise be immodest to create a modest outfit. You can add tights under sports uniforms or put a short-sleeved shirt under a spaghetti strap shirt or dress to make it cute and modest. Be creative!

§  Consider your “web influence”. Go through each picture, video, tagged photo, etc. on facebook, twitter, and blogs to make sure it is befitting a Christian. If not, untag it, remove it, and save it in a file marked “hubby only”! We need to aim for holiness, not being sexy and seductive.

§  When you go anywhere with water (ex: beach), wear your bathing suit underneath modest clothing. This is what my husband and I do when we go. We wear t-shirts and knee length shorts and trust me, the world knows you are different (and stares awkwardly) because of it. Also, we avoid going to water parks or anywhere that a lot of “naked” people will be. Going to the beach on the off season is great or even private beaches for a small fee. It is worth the $10!

§  Recognize that modesty is not event dependent. What does this mean? It means that God does not expect modesty just at worship. He expects it everywhere. This includes weddings or formals, water (pools, oceans, lakes), malls, sporting events, and yes, even when you are baking in the Texas heat! Jesus went through much more discomfort for us than we are likely to ever suffer for Him.

§  Pieces that are not appropriate for Christians to wear (some things can be modified to be worn correctly while others cannot):

1) Modern day swinwear (bikinis, one pieces, tankinis, etc). All these options fully expose the legs and some expose a lot more. In the Old Testament, uncovered thighs were considered nakedness!

2) Sporting uniforms/cheerleading uniforms (sporting uniforms can sometimes be modified with tights/leggings underneath)

3) Anything above the knees (shorts, dresses, skirts). We need to try to layer underneath or buy extra long for when we sit down as well. Think ahead!

4) Anything with no straps, spaghetti straps (straps that are too thin), halters (exposing full back), etc. Men are very visual and even too much back can cause a man to lust! Shirts underneath or sleeves added can serve as good modifications here.

5) Anything “too” = too tight, too low, too thin, too revealing, too short, too much attention drawn to the body’s curves, etc.

6) Deep v-necks without a proper undershirt (one that doesn’t constantly fall down or “barely cover”)

7) Anything that shows cleavage of any kind

8) Outfits that show your underwear or are “see through” in bright lighting (trust me, go to the Denver airport enough and you will see it all without wanting to!)

§  God’s laws of modesty apply to both women and men. Men should have shirts on, not wear shirts unbuttoned without a proper undershirt, and have shorts long enough as well. These guidelines are general (if you can find a sporting uniform with shorts that go past the knees, great!), but should hold up pretty well as a guide for the majority of today’s clothing options.

§  Take every opportunity to train! We all share a responsibility in this. Parents, elders, church members, teachers, preachers, etc. If your child leaves the house immodestly, as the parent it is your responsibility. We should also take the opportunity to be helpful. Sometimes bra straps do accidently slip out or shirts fall down a bit (even with very modest people), so when we see it we should help another sister by gently and privately letting her know in love. Let us help one another!

_{mirror time}

                 1. What items in your closet do you need to clean out today? 
                 Discuss why throwing them out despite the money they may have cost will be worth it.  

      2. Write down five things to consider every time you get dressed (ex: how will this help or hurt my Christian brothers today?) Place this list by your mirror and read it daily. Take joy in being modest.  The kind of man you will want in your life will love a classy woman! 

      3. Are you sometimes tempted to wear things you should not? Openly admit the pressure this worldly society places on dress and fashion. List four Scriptures below that you can commit to memory for the times you feel pressure to buy something that doesn’t reflect well on Christ. 

      4. Don’t rush to shop! It can lead to bad choices. Make a commitment starting today not to shop in stores that primarily carry immodest pieces of clothing. How can this help you on your journey to be holy? Write down three stores below that carry modest clothing (or pieces that can be layered together to be modest) and make it a point to shop there.

5. Is your dress outweighing your words? I was at a devo once (all women in a private home setting with windows closed!) where a teen wore a bikini while giving a devo on modesty. It really got the point across because all you could look at was what she (wasn’t) wearing while presenting it. After making the point for a minute, she dressed fully and it was a lesson I never forgot. How can we make sure our words match our actions? 

6. Read Exodus 28:42. How far did a garment have to extend to in order to “cover their naked flesh”? By this standard, would modern swimwear or shorts be appropriate? 

7. How does the example we discussed in Genesis show that we can be wearing clothes and still be naked? 

_{it was you}

I said, “Now, brother, don’t you stumble!

Be so strong just for today!”

But then I walked before you,

And put sharp rocks along the way

I first took off my baggy jeans,

For they were just too hot

I then put on my shortest shorts,
Though I knew that I should not

I glanced back then to check on you,

Were you running fast like me?

But you were lagging far behind,

Even squinting, I could not see

“Brother!” I called, “Come this way!

It’s easier over here!”

But still I saw you less and less,

When you were once so near

The path I ran was easy,

The road was oh so wide

And yet you chose the other way,

Though I couldn’t understand why

I saw the beach up far ahead,

And thought I would undress

I removed my shorts and t-shirt,

Until only a bikini was left

I looked again and saw you linger,

For you would not keep pace

“Come on!” I shouted as I went,

“You have to run this race!”

Yet as I watched you more and more,

You tripped onto your knees

“Sister, I can’t keep up with you,”

You said with desperate pleas

“Now brother! Stop your stumbling!”

I said, as I watched you weakly crawl

Then you looked at me with sadness,

“It was you who made me fall."