Far Above Rubies

Modesty was definitely not my first concern when I was growing up. In fact, I spent most of my time fighting with my father over his rules for what I was and was not allowed to wear. Now that I am older, I am grateful that I had a father that cared so much about me that he took an interest in all aspects of my life including my dress. As an adult, I still wrestle with what should constitute appropriate Christian modesty. God has been calling me to adopt a more modest dress style. At first, I was really confused by this. I do not know if I have ever worn anything that would be considered immodest by the standards of the world. However, I was still discontented. I felt that my style of dress just was not suitable. And so my modest dress journey began.

I have decided to write a little about the Christian modesty "movement" and my own decision to dress more modestly. I am doing this to (hopefully) answer some questions about the different styles of modest dress and why a woman may decide to dress modestly. I also hope to provide some encouragement for women who are just beginning the modest dress journey.

When I first decided to dress modestly, I was overwhelmed with choices. Modest dressing can range from traditional "plain" clothing which includes the types of clothing worn by Mennonites, Amish, Quaker, and conservative Brethren groups all the way to modern clothing choices.

Outside of the Amish, Brethren, and Mennonite churches, there are no hard rules for appropriate dress. Ultimately, each woman must choose a style of clothing that she feels is appropriate. I have also found that it is not an easy journey. I faced a lot of opposition from my family and a tremendous amount of internal confusion. Often, I had to wait on God to provide the answers I needed.

I hope to post more soon as time allows. Here is a rough outline (mostly for myself) for what I would like to discuss:

• Why modest dress?
• Historic modest dress
• Modern trendy modest dress
• Headcovering