A Simpler Life ~

      As I am writing,Automatic by Miranda Lambert is playing and it inspired today's thoughts. Its one of those days where I keep thinking about how life gets so hectic. I love slow days where all I have to do is whatever I want to do.  But let's be honest here, how often do those days happen? Sadly, being an adult doesn't allow for days like that very often. Work, children, errands, working out, and the list goes on and on. And it seems to be that the older I get, the  more to-do's trickle their way into my life.  Technology screams for my attention.  My phone gets more and more essential to life. I joke that l'd be a mess without my phone when, in all reality, it's pretty true.  That little pocket-sized device has a way of sending me into a panic if it goes missing or runs out of battery.  I  communicate in texts and Facebook messages. I am not a big phone-call girl. I don't talk on the phone much at all. But I do like my messaging.  Seems like everything has to be instant. We get frustrated if someone doesn't have an answer and we have to look it up right away. Instagram and Twitter show our life in little snippets of time.

So today I'm thinking about the 'good old days.' When, I think of being a kid and we had VHS and corded phones and when we got a cordless phone, we felt fancy. Dial-up internet--oh my, slowest thing ever, right? Not being able to connect to the internet because  someone is on the phone. A 90's kid with her portable CD player, headphones, and roller blades. Thought I was the coolest kid ever. Cassette tape decks in every car, CD player if you had a new fancy car. Radio was just your local stations. Hoping your favorite radio station would work till you got wherever you were going. Hills and tall buildings stunk for radio. We had tube TVs and eventually  satellite but no DVRs. Weather was looking at the sky or watching the local news, or turning on the radio or watching the weather channel, waiting for the local weather. No cell phones.  If you were away from home, no one could call you. Amazingly, we survived just fine. Pink notepad and pen by the phone for taking messages for someone else. If they weren't there when someone called for them, and you happened to answer it. Waiting all day to sit down and watch your favorite show on TV, at the time it was on. If you missed it, hoping a rerun would be on someday so you could see it. Video game controllers with cords and having to sit on the floor because the cord didn't reach the couch. Video game cartridges, blowing on them when they didn't work to get dust off so you could play them. Summer meant playing outside and using our imaginations, with the occasional rainy-day TV day. I may or may not have watched Snow White so many times I wore out the tape. Yes, you could wear out VHS or cassette tapes. The panic over a broken or unrolled tape, hoping the break or crinkle in the tape wouldn't disrupt the movie too much. Splicing the tape back together, hoping it wouldn't get stuck in the VCR or tape deck. The only cellphones were head sized and antennas like a beacon. They were not very good and reception sucked. We waited days for mail and letters in the mail were like a mini gift. Disposable cameras and film cameras and getting them developed. Paper pictures in your hands or in albums. Life as a kid even for me seemed so simple electronics hadn't taken over yet.

I find myself dreaming and yearning for a simpler time.  I think about how my parents grew up with a lot less. Seeing the people they are today makes me think that maybe less really is better. They were by no means rich, money wise.  My grandparents worked long, hard days providing for their children. My parents grew up with chores such as milking cows in the early morning and right after dinnertime. They talk about the farm and milking cows and plowing fields and making hay. I find myself wanting to be on a farm--less stuff, hard work, an old house with lots of land. I have always been a country girl at heart who happened to grow up in a small town--a city girl, dreaming of no street lights, a barn, a yard that's big enough to have a garden as big as I want. A yard that a dog can run around for hours on. I want goats and chickens, and the wide open space, a life that is simpler and slower. I want my children someday to see how my grandparents and parents lived life. I want a modern life with a nod to the old days which were good times. My mom talks about her family singing around their piano.  My dad talks of shenanigans in the barn and hay mow. Their houses were full of life and love. I find myself wanting my children to have a home with hard work, life, love and singing. I might have grown up in town, but my parents somehow still instilled in us a simple, country-like mindset. Appreciating what we have and remembering the hard work that it took to have what we have. My daddy worked hard and yet he still made it to all of our games and special events. He is the biggest inspiration of what a godly man should look like and be. My brothers both learned well from him. We didn't have much money but we were rich because we had love and faith. We knew that no matter what, we had and still do have, each other.

       We fell in love with God and our faith grew. Sunday mornings before church would find my dad playing guitar and singing hymns and other worships songs. You could hear singing coming from all corners of our house. Singing was a part of our lifestyle. We all caught the music bug. Our house was never quiet.  It was filled  with laughter and questions about life and, once in awhile, tears. My parents never made us afraid to ask anything. We always asked any questions we had. God was a daily part of my childhood.  He was a part of everything my parents did and still do. We asked questions and figured out our own faith. They taught us that God was powerful and His love was and is unfailing, but that we still  had to seek Him with our own hearts and lives to really have a real understanding of God. We made God our own, and our faith was our own.  My parents took us to church. but church was more than a building growing up. It was my second home. My parents were very involved in the music and other ministries in church. My friends were all in our church. Our church was a big family.

All in all, my point is that even though we have all these new electronics and technology races forward, don't forget what makes life great. Simple is better and it's just as good as being rich. Find your joy in God and family and love and you will be rich.


https://youtu.be/TVYLN4_IZgcAutomatic

James 1:1-4

Grab some coffee or tea and here we go...

The first verse of the chapter might seem pretty simple, telling you who James is and who he is speaking to.
That is what I thought as well, until I looked it up in a commentary.  Then my mind changed. It is a much deeper verse than it seems at first. Here is the first commentary note on it. There are two more notes but this one caught my eye the  most. Please, by all means, take a look at the other notes. So interesting.

(commentary info taken from Bible Gateway and it's the Matthew Henry's commentary)
Verse 1 ~  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:  Greetings.

I. The character by which our author desires to be known: James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was a prime-minister in Christ’s kingdom, yet he styles himself only a servant. Note hence, Those who are highest in office or attainments in the church of Christ are but servants. They should not therefore act as masters, but as ministers. Further, Though James is called by the evangelist the brother of our Lord, yet it was his glory to serve Christ in the spirit, rather than to boast of his being akin according to the flesh. Hence let us learn to prize this title above all others in the world—the servants of God and of Christ. Again, it is to be observed that James professes himself a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ; to teach us that in all services we should have an eye to the Son as well as the Father. We cannot acceptably serve the Father, unless we are also servants of the Son. God will have all men to honour the Son as they honour the Father (John 5:23), looking for acceptance in Christ and assistance from him, and yielding all obedience to him, thus confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The biggest reason this one caught my eye was because James was at a high rank in the eyes of God but still wanted to be addressed as a "servant". Before reading the commentary I would have never realized this fact. Another note for verse 1 is that he says not only is he a servant of God but also of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seemed a little redundant as I read it the first time or two but then after you read the commentary notes, you see that God and the Lord Jesus Christ are both mentioned because, as the commentary says, "we cannot acceptably serve the Father, unless we are servants of the Son."  OK, that makes me go whoa, a little. Basically, here then he is saying not only am I servant of God but I also follow and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The importance of understanding the trinity is clear here. You can't have one without the others; they are all one. Powerful message in half a verse. The other half of verse one is pretty self explanatory. It is written to the the twelve tribes. It does mention however that the tribes are scattered among nations. But makes sense over time that the tribes naturally moved around. 

Verse 2 ~ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Now lets just start by saying, how many of us see a trial in our life and immediately react with joy?  No,  that does not happen.  Many times we react with our flesh rather than respond with our spirit to trials. I'll bet that every single one of us would love if our reaction was in fact joy when we face trials. If you're like me, your reaction is more likely one of "why" or "no", or, if I am honest, one of anger or resentment at first. Then usually, after awhile,  when I have resigned myself to the fact that it is God who has put a trial in my path, my heart goes to a more submissive or even desperate place.  After that phase I eventually find my way to the final stage and preferred response which, lets face it, happens at the end of the trial, or sometimes even after, of joy and thankfulness or of realizing the growth that was obtained through the trial.  Sigh.  I see how much work God still has to do in me to get my reaction to be joy. My friends, it's so important to remember that our Father knows it all and is right there in the midst of our trials.  He has seen it all. And also keep in mind that he 'works all things together for the good of those who love Him'. The last part of verse 2 I like because it specifies that there will be trials of many kinds. That has a calming effect on my heart reading that. It reminds my heart that God already knows the trials we will face and in this phrase he acknowledges this. 

Verse 3 ~ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance

This verse conveys a different idea entirely because it talks about not only faith but also testing your faith. Faith can be such a touchy thing because we feel so unsure of even what faith is.  We struggle with if we have enough of it. We read the verse that says "if you have faith of a mustard seed". Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  It's so tiny. This reminds me of something I heard someone say once, "You don't need big faith in God, you just need faith in a big God."  We know how faithful God is and has been, not only in the stories we read in the Bible, but I hope also in our own lives. I know He has been so faithful in my life that I can't not give Him credit. So my dear ones, how can we not have faith in the One that gave His life for us? 

Secondly, in that same phrase, he mentions that this testing produces perseverance.   Perseverance seems like its a big word with scary ramifications. Let's look at the word:

    per·se·ver·ance - noun steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving      success. (from Google) 

What does it take to have perseverance then ? Going through some trials perhaps. Huh... Amazing how we are right back where this verse started. Perseverance wouldn't happen if life was always easy and always worked out the way we wanted it to. And where would our faith be?  Well, we wouldn't need it.  The biggest thing I see here is that we also wouldn't need to reach out to our Savior if we didn't have trials to persevere through or we also wouldn't need faith. Ah, so cool to me how every verse of the Bible leads us back to our Father in some way.  No way around it.   

Verse 4 ~ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This verse is pretty full of information.

(Commentary taken from Bible Gateway Matthew Henry's Commentary)
(2.) We must let it have its perfect work. Do nothing to limit it nor to weaken it; but let it have its full scope: if one affliction come upon the heels of another, and a train of them are drawn upon us, yet let patience go on till its work is perfected. When we bear all that God appoints, and as long as he appoints, and with a humble obedient eye to him, and when we not only bear troubles, but rejoice in them, then patience hath its perfect work. (3.) When the work of patience is complete, then the Christian is entire, and nothing will be wanting: it will furnish us with all that is necessary for our Christian race and warfare, and will enable us to persevere to the end, and then its work will be ended, and crowned with glory. After we have abounded in other graces, we have need of patience, Heb. 10:36. But let patience have its perfect work, and we shall be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

This commentary describes it well but also really makes me want to hide. I mean, some of that is a tough pill to swallow. Essentially I read that and go, "I am done for."  I mean, how many times have I tried to fight God's work in me?  I don't want to even admit how many times.  It is so tough to enter a hard time and have your first thought be, 'oh good.' Wish it was, but we have to remember God knows this. He knows our weaknesses. He created us,  right?  Nothing is out of His hands or reach.  Persevering through tough stuff makes us more like Him if we let Him. Perhaps we don't dance with joy when see trials. But what if we let God do His will through it with open hands and a humble heart? He knows how hard it is. Let us remember he said "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" He knows how it feels to have to do something when you're feeling alone. He was dying for us, the ones who put Him there, and he felt like God had left Him. Although He knew God hadn't abandoned him, He still felt it. So even though we feel alone, we can have faith that God's hand is still there and He's still guiding us. 

Who doesn't want to be  'mature and complete, not lacking in anything?"  I know that I do for sure.  How much stuff would you go through to hear the words,  "you're mature?"  A lot, even to hear it from the ones we love, right? So how much are you willing to go through or endure to hear the words "well done, good and faithful servant?" Let us bring ourselves back to the first verse of the chapter where it says "James, a servant of God and the Savior Jesus Christ," He had considered himself a servant but, in all reality, he could have been called an important leader.  He chose the humbled name, feeling like it was more fitting. Someday I hope I can be humble enough to even obtain the title of servant. The only place where we will be mature and complete, not lacking in anything is when we are standing in front of our Father with no leg to stand on. On the ground with no words to even say. All He asks of us is to go through the trials He has designed for us by leaning on Him.  My work is cut out for me. A ton of humbling and persevering is needed to get this heart ready to serve Him. 

Oh my goodness, my heart is so overwhelmed with all I have learned in these few verses. I really pray that it touches you as well. 

Expectations and life...

         

            Expectations, sometimes I seem to forget what this word even really means. It means to essentially have an idea or plan of how something should go. Or even how a person should react to a situation or even to something that is said. Seems logical enough, right?  I say I'm sad! and the expectation of the person I am communicating with. Would be one of equal sadness, or at least of feeling my sadness. Asking questions like Why are you sad ? What's making you sad? What's wrong? They seem valid and realistic and some people will reach that  particular expectation. But, is it then horrible and unfair if they don't have that reaction or ask those questions. Is it fair for you to want everyone you know to react like your expectations?

            Is it fair to place our expectations on other humans. The only one where expectations will always be met is with God. He will always hear us out and be there always. There are many verses in the bible that touch on people failing you. And goodness some days I sure feel the weight of that one full force. Some expectations are normal and even good. I expect my dog to let me know when he has to go outside to pee. And not to just pee in the house somewhere. He's been trained to do so, right? So, my expectation is one that is fair and should be accomplished without fault. But what happens if I do step into a yellow puddle somewhere do I get rid of my dog? No, of course not that would be silly. You clean it up and move on. So there are some expectations that are good and even helpful. There is however a line where expectations get dangerous to ourselves and all of our relationships.

          I personally think everyone has their own line to find with God's leading. Just what expectations are benefiting or not to them.  What do I mean by dangerous to yourself?
What, I'm referring to there is the expectations that are lofty or are not essential to reality. Example : I expect this person I am friends with to buy me a gift for my birthday. Perhaps, I have even dropped hints to that friend about a gift or that my birthday is coming soon ...wink wink. The day comes and your friend shows up no gift no bag no present at all. You tell yourself it's ok but deep down it stings you really thought they cared enough for you. Then your mind starts doubting your friendship with that person and how much you mean to them. Now, just think if you had gone into that situation with gratitude, and contentment with your friend taking time to meet with you. Realizing that perhaps that can mean more than a gift ever would. It's so hard to be grateful in this day and age. We are told, more expectations will fix it. And it runs all the way down to what we expect from others. Ask yourself this question,next time you start to expect something of someone or of a situation. Ask, Can I be ok emotionally if this person/situation turns out differently then in my head ? If the answer is yes then you go right ahead thinking like that. If not, then take a step back and reevaluate why or how you can change your expectations to deal with it properly. It's hard, and I am far from done working on it. In fact short of heaven I don't know if I will be able to be done working on it. I have found when I started to realize that perhaps the expectations. That, I had were ruining my enjoyment of many situations and moments. I started to realize something had to change. I found myself smack in the middle of an issue that was robbing me of alot of Joy and appreciation. When I finally narrowed it down to expectations. I could start to fix the pattern of expectation and letdown. It's a lot more fun, and glorifying to God, going into a situation going God your will be done here. And let it all pan out and being happy and taking in every second. Life is only so long don't let failed expectations drag you down. God has big plans for you don't let anyone or anything steal that from you.

The Second Awakening -

Time for this girl to be oh so honest with you all out there...
God and I have been a bit rocky as of late. I am a very stubborn and determined person. I kinda always think I know the best choice, and I tend to tell God what I think would be a good thing to do. And I also like to tell Him when He should make it happen. Then, when I don't see it happen when or how I want, well, then I just pout and get mad. Some things make me revert to the little kid and I say, "God, happiness was right there. Why did you have to go and not let me have that?" Some days God just stays silent and lets me pout and some days He decides to show me He's still bigger.

      My favorite thing to say is, "God, I want this so bad and you took it away." Let's do a little compare and contrast here.  What do I have to bring to the table... nothing. God, well He has ... everything. In fact, He not only has everything but He even has control over all of it. My selfish and desiring heart goes oh please sure you do have everything and you can do anything. But do you really see this thing I want is that too much to ask for huh. I wish I could say I don't get sassy and know it all with God but oh honey... some days I go all out child and tantrum with God. And yet the amazing thing is God just waits there and keeps saying I am right here, ready child. I fight scream and cry saying all the while I got this God. But sooner or later I always end up in a pile on the floor once the world crashes in on me. All God does is says "I am right here child".  And all I can do is cry and say Lord look at this mess. Lord I can't fix this I messed up too much it's swallowing me whole. Choices get so hard when we try to do it on our own. Each time I tantrum it gets easier to get to the I got nothing moment but goodness it still takes too long.

Once I get to the, " I got nothing" and my heart returns to the humbled and submissive place. Then suddenly the stressed out and I can't do this now becomes. I am strong and courageous and I can take on anything with God by my side. My Heart gets back in the right hands and I no longer feel like a child. I have my feet on the ground and I can breath in the peace that comes from knowing I can't fix it and change anything. Which means I shouldn't need to feel like I have to hold it so close, my white-knuckled fingers around that one thing. The best part is I go back to the girl that wants to be the daughter that God can point to and say that's my girl. God wants only the best for us. His character is where your heart can always rest. My heart wants so many things. And I might never get all of the things that I want but, God loves to let blessings filter out of his hands even when we are too unfocused to see the rain drops of blessings. It may be a smile from a stranger when you've about had it. It might be you getting to bless someone else with a smile. Then there are the big raindrops like a new car or enough money to put a down payment on a house.


     So in the end all I can do is say Lord you know my heart and my desires. Do I still have desires that I want so bad it really does ache oh, yes. I have however learned to just keep saying Lord I know you know what I want and how much I want it but your Will over mine. Now there seems to always be one desire that I still grip on to so tight. God will say that one desire... give it to me I can handle it. I always start by going,oh that one ummm... and hide it behind my back going oh that I  have that under control. I mean I'd give it to you but I think your going to take it or change it. Or maybe make me wait for it and Lord I don't want to wait for it. Till finally I go here Lord hand out and going ok take it one eye shut the other watching that desire. I am so scared to let it loose and just trust. Ah that word... Trust I have a lot of walls around me so I don't let many in past arms length because so many I have let it have hurt me. I seem to translate this to God and that is not healthy but it's where I am at. My trust issues are from so long ago I with I could tell you how they got there. All I know, is that I will let a lot of people into my life but few get to see my heart. They also do not know my real struggles. If they do know them they don't know all of them or the depth of them. So, if I have been transparent with you a lot I do in fact trust you.


In closing, oh dear ones out there please let God take all your struggles to Him he wants them. Even though its hard to believe and understand why he wants to take all my mess upon himself. Have hope and faith that even when everything is pointing to no in a situation God can still make it a yes. He will always be the one that can do anything. So all of you out there saying "I got nothing". Let God say " it's ok child, I have everything" Get away from the world and let the one who created it, have all of it. He's big enough to take anything you can say or feel. So child, let it all out in His presence tell Him all of it and let Him be God.


Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord  Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

James

Picture: NIV-Message -parallel Bible

           Ok, so before I start this Bible study-type blog post series, I want you all to know that I am no Bible scholar. In fact, doing this kind of thing is out of my comfort zone by miles, but I feel like it is a good exercise in faith and trust. Oh, how often our heavenly Father asks us to do things that make us wanna hide and go, "No, not me, Lord, you chose the wrong person for this." Then we mentally think of someone better equipped and secretly hope God gives up asking us to do it and chooses instead to  put it on their heart. That would be me right now behind my computer screen. My brain is thinking,  "Oh my, I don't know about this.  Really, Lord, why are you asking me to do this?" I just know, my dear fellow Christians, that I am concerned for where our freedom to worship is headed. Something in me says take in all the scripture you can now so that you have it is hidden in your heart where no one can take it away.  I don't know about you, but many of the recent events in our country have left me concerned for where our country is headed.  How much longer we will have freedom to worship our Father freely?  I know God has it all under His control and in His very capable hands, but man, it is unsettling. My Bible is one of the most precious things I own.  I can't even imagine not being able to have one or worse, having it taken away, but why not prepare just in case?

           So that is what I am going to do.  So, friends, let me humbly come before you with my thoughts on the book of James and share what I am learning along the way.  Please never take my opinions or interpretations as fact, but always seek the Lord and His word for wisdom and discernment. As I like to say, put all things through the 'God filter' and if they come out clean on the other side, then you're good to go.  So since I am still on a caffeine buzz, I will start to write the first post of this study.  Please pray for my heart and my words. Pray also for God to use this as He wants to and that His will is done through it. Have faith and keep walking His path.

Peace amongst the pieces...

What pops into your head when you hear the word peace? A person making a peace sign with their hand?  A preacher saying "May His peace be with you?" Or maybe it's that all too rare moment where everything is quiet and peaceful. Perhaps your pictures are different from mine but the bottom line is, we all need some peace in our lives. Some days we yearn for it more than others. How then do we discover this picture of peace for ourselves?

Let me take you back a few months in time. I decided to buy a car, something I had never done before.  I was excited, happy, and nervous, all at the same time. I sat there a few hours after signing the papers to buy it, having a mini panic attack and thinking,  "What did I just sign on for here?  Sure, it's pretty and it's a good car and it was a good deal.  But now I have to pay for it, I have to pay for it each month."  These anxious thoughts kept running through my head until I stopped and realized something that I hadn't before.  Before I had gone out to look at this car, or any car for that matter, I had prayed and asked God to help me make a wise choice. I also had my parents with me and they'd be honest if they thought I was not making a good choice. They, however, had not said anything about this being a bad idea, so I was confident in that. God let me get this car. He knows how to say no. He could have let it sell before I got there. He could have made it too expensive for me. He could have let me walk away from it. There have been other instances where God has done all of those things. But He allowed me to buy it.  I started to settle down and sat there with tears on my face and said, "Thanks, Lord."  I saw how God had made this possible for me. I was at peace and humbled by that shiny car in the driveway.

    Peace isn't easy to find. It's hard to get to a place of peace.  This world is so noisy and 'unpeaceful. There are situations buzzing all about that radiate the complete opposite of peace. Some nights I love to sit outside in my small town and hear the trees and see the sky dark as can be. Now I will say you can't see the stars real well (street lights) or it's not really silent (cars, factory sound). But still, in that moment, you can feel it breaking through--it's peace. Just a glimpse of it and we want more. We yearn to get back to that moment in time where we could be still and we want to feel that again and  again. And yet other days, when life gets too overwhelming, we run as far as we can from quiet and anything that could allow us to feel peace creeping in. Why?   Because, in the hurried form of life and in the noise, we can be ignorant of that mess that we don't want to deal with.  If we don't slow down, we don't have to make amends with those pieces of life. Sometimes it is just easier to do that for a time.

        But now, you know the Lord will find a way to get you to slow down and face those pieces sooner or later. For me it seems to take alot to get to that point. I wish I was better at just confessing and laying it all before my Father, but that's not usually the case.  He will try first gently to get me to slow down and give Him the pieces so He can give me peace. Then He will get my attention by making life harder so I can't do it alone and I will finally come to my knees and in tears tell Him all about the many pieces I've got for Him. Wish I could get to the hearing Him gently, but we are not there yet.

      You know, the Bible talks about "the peace that surpasses all understanding" . This verse made no sense to me for quite awhile. The day it made sense to me, I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled and I was so nervous about it. My mom prayed with me before I went in that I would have that peace mentioned earlier.  I was lying there a little drugged and still nervous, as evidenced by the quickened beeping of the heart monitor. I couldn't get calm.  I was trying to slow down the beeping and calm my nerves. Nothing was working.  I tried thinking of my new puppy I was about it to get. Trying to breath and just relax, well, that wasn't working either. The beeps were still faster than they should be. Finally, I decided I would give praying a shot. So I stared at the ceiling while waiting for the Dr. and just prayed what was on my heart.  Within seconds of asking for peace, my heart rate slowed down some and I relaxed somewhat. I still panicked a bit when he walked in the room to start the surgery but I had definitely felt a difference.

       Peace is something we can ask for time and time again, seeing sometimes no change or any effect. But other times it will be there in an instant to slow our beating hearts down and realize God's presence is peace itself.  His being there creates peace. So thankful that there are enough days and moments where I can see God's peace and feel it. So my dear friends out there, I encourage you to slow down today and let God cover your pieces with His peace. He's got all the peace and quiet we will ever need. 

        

Modesty & Healthy Body Image ~

This post will be long, just so you know...

            Modesty is a big deal for both men and women.  I will start by saying women have a bit more affect and, for that reason, this a pretty important issue. But there are some things men can also do to help us as women not feel so one sided on this issue and own their part of it.  I will focus on the woman's side. My version of modesty is going to probably be different than yours and that is OK.  It is really all about personal convictions. So as I say, all the things I see as immodest and modest, they are only what I am personally convicted of, so please use your own personal convictions as your guide. Talk to God and find out where your comfort and convictions lie for you personally. Having said, that here I go with my list: 

          Some may think when they see me that I wear dresses and skirts all the time and you would be right to think that. I really do love to wear skirts and dresses, but I do still believe jeans are fine. I love my jeans and I love being able to decide how I want to dress that day, in a skirt or a pair of jeans. Shorts are a part of modesty that has kind of evolved with me I will now wear shorter shorts than I used to, but they do still have to have an inseam and no pockets showing. Skirts and dresses much shorter than an inch or two above the knee are not comfortable for me. I will wear any jeans, skinnies and boot cut and the like. I just like to make sure they aren't too tight all around. As far as shirts, I will wear pretty much any shirts except tube tops and strapless shirts, and that also goes for dresses as well. Unless it is a dress for a wedding or special event, I will not wear strapless dresses. I wear and practically live in tank tops all summer. I will always wear a cami under anything that feels a bit too see through or shows more skin than I want it to. I have camis in many colors and styles, which allows me to add some color to outfits as I want to. 

          I am a girly girl.  I love to dress up in my own way. I am saddened when I see a woman dressing in a very immodest way. I pray for her and her heart because perhaps she doesn't see the problem with dressing like that. It's important to consider the heart motive behind how we dress. And yes, it really is a heart issue if we need to dress in an immodest way. Perhaps we are insecure in our attractiveness to guys without showing it all off, like we don't think a guy could possibly like us without giving him some visual help.  This, dear ladies, is a huge lie that Satan puts in our heads.  I have been there, too. I am certainly not innocent concerning those thoughts.  I have had them as well. But perhaps it would be better to consider the struggle young men out there have with their eyes and what is before them. We also need to have enough respect for ourselves and consider the example we are to other girls as well.  Keep this in mind, especially if you are around a lot of younger girls or young women who will look up to you in all ways, including the way you dress. They will look to you to show them how they should view their body and what they choose to wear. If you show up looking cute and modest, they will start seeing that as a good way to dress. Little girls need good role models around them, especially when the world around them is saying skinny and sexy is best.

 Healthy body image is so important and essential to avoiding the trap of extreme body issues, such as eating disorders and compulsive dieting and constant weight fears.  Now, I cannot speak to you about how hard it is to struggle with weight all the time because the Lord has blessed me with a small and yet healthy frame. I have never felt fat. I have, however, felt like, at some points in my life, that I've been underweight. At my lightest I was 100 pounds at the age of 21.  I was so scared by that. I had gone from 107 pounds to 100 in less than a month. At this point I went to a doctor just to be sure there wasn't a health reason for this rapid weight loss. The doctor didn't find anything.  After a few months of really working on de-stressing and trusting God, I gained the weight back. I was so thankful.  The only cause to this day that we can think of is that I was so stressed I didn't eat enough, nor did I want to eat much. It was so terrifying to see how small I had gotten and the scary path I had ended up on without intending to. So, my dear lovely ladies, none of us are immune to the body issues.  All of us struggle with them. Stand close to your Heavenly Father and let Him love you and help you love the body you have, because He created you just the way you are. He sees a treasure and a woman of such worth that He went to the cross for you and died just to show you how worth it you are.

       But now, I know what you're thinking.  Some days, ladies, we wake up and go,  "God, have you seen this face?  Have you seen how not pretty I am, 'cause really, I am scary. My skin doesn't look like the magazines and guys don't give me a second glance.  Lord, I have things about my body I would change if I could and I just wish I could look more like (insert name here)." We all compare our bodies and skin or clothes to someone. We know the Bible says we shouldn't but we all still struggle with comparing ourselves to others. The jealousy intensifies when we see a girlfriend of ours get the boy we wanted, or just any boy, to go out with her. We start to second guess our validity. Our own character and self worth get thrown under a microscope and we seek to find the flaws or the reasons we don't have a guy or, for goodness sake, even catch a guy's eye.  If you're like me, you want to be loved and accepted so much that you will do everything it takes to see that come true. Our heart yearns for a man to like what he sees enough to want to marry us. The danger here goes back to the lie that Satan keeps shoving in our face, that we need to strut our stuff and flaunt our body so we catch those guys in our trap, all the while forgetting that  young men need our help to keep their eyes on the right parts of a woman. Now I am not saying that wearing more fabric is the only thing here. Its so much more than that. We need to seek to make our feminine beauty come out. God created us women to  affect the right young man at the right time. Not all young men have the right intentions as far as how they choose to see us young women. Some have chosen to use women to get what they want from them, therefore not respecting them like they should be. Other men are too afraid to even look at or think of a women as a possible wife because he has been told so much to respect his sisters and young ladies as precious gifts.Then there are the young men who get it just right; they seek to treat women with respect but don't let the possible ones get away without at least trying to get to know them and see how it goes. As I'm sure you already know, young men  don't think and see the world in the same way as we do. They have more struggles with visual and physical things, so as far as it depends on us, we should try to help them out. So dress confidently and with feminine elegance. Let your body be complimented by your clothing but not accentuated by it. Seek to look pretty and wear things that make you feel nice, but keep things hidden that should be hidden. God made us and compares us to the Bride of Christ. We are to respect Him and young men with our bodies.

          In closing, we are women so we like to be in clothes that make us feel pretty. And if we catch eyes with the right intentions on our part, then we have done all we can do. Then the men are responsible for how they deal with what they see and how they deal with those thoughts/feelings. Our hearts should be settled in our worth in Christ. Then God will bring along the right man at the right time. Be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin and you will see that God will bless that.  And don't let your motive be only to get a husband. My dear ladies, He has created you and He makes no mistakes so your beauty is breathtaking and steals God's attention.  You are His creation and He wants you to see what He sees. You are His chosen one so let those words settle in your heart. The God of all creation is captivated by your beauty and you're worth it. How can that not make you feel like a princess?  No fairy-tale needed here. We don't have to work to have the happily ever after.  We already have it in Him. I am a princess, a daughter of the one true King.

Matthew 6:33~ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NIV)