When you think of modesty you normally think about covering up. You make sure that your skirt isn’t too short and that your top isn’t cut too low, but in today’s society there are many fashion trends that are immodest without showing any skin. For example, yoga pants, leggings, or that shirt you have that is tighter than it should be. For me it was yoga pants. I mean who doesn’t love them? They are crazy comfortable and for a girl who doesn’t exactly have a ton of “junk in the trunk” they’re a dream come true. I started to realize, however, that whenever I was wearing yoga pants I wasn’t just thinking about comfort but more about the attention I would receive when I wore them.

So many women today fall into the trap of thinking that it doesn’t matter what you wear because boys will be boys, and hey that’s not my fault; that the world is full of guys who wolf whistle at you in parking lots and inappropriately harass you to get your attention. Honestly, I have had my fair share of these men, and never have I deserved their disgusting behavior and neither have you. But that is not all men. You have brothers, uncles, fathers, cousins, friends, boyfriends, who do not behave this way and yet every day, they are forced to look at Victoria's Secret ads and college campuses filled with girls in leggings. Have we asked for it? Of course not. Have we encouraged it? You know the answer to that one yourself, but I sadly think sometimes I have.

God expects us to be modest for several reasons:

Our bodies are not our own. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body." –1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Modesty sets us apart. Modesty shows the world that we belong to God -- body and mind.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:14-16

Modesty is so much more than watching out for our “brothers in Christ” and making sure we don’t get judged within our churches and Christian colleges. It’s about knowing that our bodies belong to God and that we need to honor Him with our bodies like we do with everything else. God is calling us to step up and be set-apart women in the midst of a broken generation. The kind of women who walk beside a generation of men and not cause them to stumble.

Now, I’m not saying wearing yoga pants and leggings are a sin. But, the intentions behind these can be wrong. More so, the consequences -- even if they're unintended -- can be quite devastating to your spiritual life. As Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23, "all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me but not all things edify." Just because you can do something does not mean that as a daughter of the King of Kings you should do those things.

So, don’t choose to dress modestly for the sake of boys, for your judgy friends, but do dress modestly for yourself, and more importantly for your Creator. Be the holy and set-apart woman God intends for you to be by accepting the fact that we don’t always wear our clothes for the right reasons. It was so hard for me to accept that I wasn’t wearing my yoga pants in a way that was pleasing to anyone especially our Father, so I threw them away and bought some sweat pants. As women we are so intentional about every other aspect of our lives, so why is it that we neglect to be intentional with our wardrobe choices?

When you’re leaving your apartment, house, or dorm room to start the day just ask yourself: Who are you trying to impress? When people look at you, whose daughter and representative do they think you are?

// photo via calia by carrie instagram