Classy and Covered

Posted on May 13th, 2014

Classy and Covered

By: Catherine Patterson

I love to ‘people watch’ because frankly, people are quite amusing. I like to park myself at a bench in the mall and observe the people who walk past me. There is one trend I have noticed among most of the people I see: poor clothing decisions. There are the people who dress too young for their age (Admit it. You’ve seen the moms who think they’re still 16, but we all know they’re not). There are the people who wear their pajamas everywhere and look as if they literally just walked out of bed. And then there are the people who barely wear any clothing. Actually, I wouldn’t call most of it clothing, since these people wear such little clothes that it looks like they simply slapped a piece of fabric on. Really, how do these people sit down or simply walk without their clothes falling off?

Do you ever wonder why some people dress inappropriately? What are they trying to accomplish? Are they trying to be their child’s friend instead of parent? Are they trying to be cool and look laid back in their ‘jammies’ and be accepted by their friends? Do they think that the more skin they show that people will accept them and want to spend time with them? I don’t know about you, but I—for the life of me—can’t figure them out. I do know that the way you dress determines how you will be treated by others.

Typically people wear their clothes based on what’s in style. Did you know that there is a style that is never out of style? You’ll never guess— it’s the modest style. A modest style means age-appropriate and purpose appropriate clothing. And in my opinion, it’s the style to be preferred. Women of character and worthy of respect have been dressing this way for ages.

I consider modesty classy. Classy means first-class, elegant, and excellent. If you dress modestly, comb your hair, and wear actual clothes (not pajamas), you will look put together and worthy of respect—a woman to be admired. I recently read a quote from an unknown author, “Being classy is not about being stuck up, but more so about having a simply unique style that will never be forgotten. To be classy is to have respect; respect for others and most of all respect for yourself.” Dressing modestly shows that you not only respect yourself, but the people around you. It also shows that you are confident in how you look.

I like to dress classy for many reasons. First of all, the clothes I wear will never go out of style (therefore I can spend my hard earned babysitting money on cute accessories or a new pair of shoes rather than tons of clothes). It shows I respect the people I’m talking to, and that I cared enough about going to school, church, a meeting, etc. to get out of bed and actually get dressed. But most of all, since I’m a follower of Christ, it represents my faith.

If you think about it, people who dress immodestly have never been viewed positively by others. They definitely attract attention, but is it really positive attention? Since I’m a Christian, I don’t want people to look negatively on Christianity because of the way I dress.

Here are a few things to think about the next time you dress yourself: Are you covered? What will you think of your outfit ten years from now (will you like it or will you be ashamed you wore it)? What response are you hoping to get from the way you dress—respect or attention? If you were literally face to face with Jesus, would you want Him to see you like this?

Why don’t you take a moment right now and look at the clothes hanging in your closet. Do you need to get rid of some? Begin today to dress in a manner that pleases Jesus!

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

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