If we are the Body...

We each have a longing to have our souls uniquely called, touched, and appreciated and this longing can only be satisfied by God. However, we so often don't look for it in God and instead, look for that appreciation in each other and in our place in this world. We each want to have our own niche with our friends and family. We want to be known for something, as the loud one, the funny one, the quiet one, the cute one, the sexy one, the smart one, or even as the "holy" one, and from this, we feel competition with each other. When someone is prettier, stronger, skinnier, smarter, cuter, funnier, or holier, we feel intimidated and even worthless. However, if we are all part of the body of Christ, we should each want everyone to get to heaven.
We should care about each other so much that we want everyone to be as much themselves and holy as possible. We should seek our unique places in God's heart and not among each other. To find our security and know ourselves as He sees us and love ourselves as He loves us, through our faults and failures.
There shouldn't be any competition! We should do everything to encourage each other in holiness. As we discover more and more about truth and Christ we should share it with each other so that our friends can also know that truth. We're so interconnected as the body of Christ that when one member sins, the whole body suffers. But in that same light, when one member grows closer to God, the whole body benefits. The same lifeblood flows through all of us.
Don't take this too far but when I say there's no competition, I don't just mean competition with each other. It's competition with ourselves too. We should strive to be exactly where God is calling us to be at that moment each day. Disregarding where we've been whether it's good or bad in our past, and concentrating on living each moment with Christ. In knowing, loving, and serving Him at that point in your life. It seems like if you look at the past too much, you'll may be tempted to become complacent and prideful if you're improving, or discouraged and pessimistic if You're not in the same place spiritually as you used to be. Saint Augustine said "Love, and do as you like." Love is in the present. It's not a past tense or a a future event, it's where you are right then.
If I could be another Saint Therese or Mother Theresa and do all the good they ever did, God wouldn't want it. He's calling me to be Saint Angelle, not Saint Therese. We each have our own unique and individual path to sainthood. No two paths have ever been or ever will be exactly alike.

Modesty pt. 2

So here's part 2
I polled about 35 Christian guys to see what they thought about modesty and here are the results. Oh and this was for an average day, for a girl to wear to campus and such.

************* Modest - Immodest - In-between - Tacky
Spaghetti straps 18 - 13 - 2 - 0
Halter Tops 14 - 14 - 4 - 1
Cleavage 1 - 26 - 6 - 0
Tight Shirts 6 - 20 - 6 - 0
Strapless 2 - 27 - 3 - 4
Midriff 2 - 23 - 3 - 4
Thin Shirts 1 - 23 -2 -6
(showing a bra underneath)
Very short shorts 0 - 30 - 2 - 0
Tight Pants 8 - 15 - 7 - 1
Skirts above the knee 8 - 18 - 5 - 1
miniskirts 9 - 5 - 2 - 13
(with tights underneath)
holes in jeans 7 - 17 - 3 - 5
(mid-thigh and above)
writing across the butt 0 - 22 - 1 - 9
slits in skirts
(above the knee) 9 - 11 - 11 - 0


The following are for beachwear only. Meaning to be worn in and around the beach


String Bikinis 6 - 22 - 0 - 0
Regular bikinis 16 - 9 - 7 -0
bathing suit bottoms 20 - 8 - 4 - 0
(without shorts over them)
Tankini 23 -3 - 4 -2
(with 2" of midriff showing or less)
cleavage 8 - 15 - 8 - 1
Thong bikini 0 - 32 - 0 - 0


I found that people who were friends often had similar views on what was and wasn't modest. Guys are attracted to confidence, especially in who you are as a person.

Here are some other things various guys wanted to mention that they like or dislike about women's clothing that wasn't covered in the poll.

No high heels and shorts
Skirts are awesome, I love it when girls wear skirts.
Cleavage starts at the crack.
Fitted is nice, show your figure.
Girls should not mash their boobs into guys when they lean over to hug them.
Girls should wear bras even if the dress doesn't require one.
No ties in the front around the boob area.
Many women wear things to church that don't seem pure.
No cleavage no matter what.
Learn how to properly wear dresses and skirts without flashing people
Don't wear dresses with very low backs.
Don't wear swimsuits held together with rings.
Don't grind when you dance, even with other girls.
Girls should wear low-cut or tight jeans that show their midriffs and backs a lot.
Girls shouldn't wear too much make up.
Girls should stop flirting with guys they don't know.
No excessive flirting.
Crude humor jokes are immodest.
No low-cut pants esp that show underwear in the back.


Here are some quotes from guys on what they think about modesty.

"Guard the minds of men. Promotes a chaste mindset."

"Modesty means not trying to draw attention to yourself. Immodesty is sexy and selfish not caring about guys. Modesty is more beautiful. You're presenting yourself for a better cause."

"It helps guys stay pure. Sad if girls don't know better. Disappointed if they know better and still dress poorly. Immodesty = insecure"

"Modesty is more attractive. More respect. It depends on the intentions of your heart. You're holding yourself higher. What you do before marriage is important, It affects your marriage. Save it all for your husband. You're respecting yourself AND guys."

"It prevents temptation. It holds to the teachings of the Church. It helps others see women as people not just objects. It's more dignified. It takes talent to dress well. It saddens you if someone you respect dresses immodestly. Immodesty does more harm than anything. Modesty applies strongly to actions. Everything is forms of expression, express pure and holy things. Dance and speak purely. Flirting is harmless if it's clear to both parties what it means."

"Modesty is important so girls don't look like sluts. Immodesty tempts guys. I don't like it when girls move in ways that make modest clothes immodest."

"Women are contributing to their lack of dignity. Feel sorry for girls who dress immodestly because they're ignorant or stupid. Bodies are temples. Expect Christian girls to be modest if they live up to Christian morals so they're not hypocrites. Understand that some girls have figures that make it much more difficult if not impossible to be modest."

"It promotes the dignity of the human person. You should be properly attired according to you surroundings. It's odd when respected people dress immodestly. It's all about respect and boundaries for yourself and others. Don't dress in a way that detracts from the personality, smile, voice, and behavior. Immodesty leads people to allow their minds to use you as entertainment."

"To help their brothers not to fall into sin. Actions can be seductive but not immodest. Lowers your opinion of a girl if she's immodest. I don't show them as much respect if they don't respect themselves."

"Modesty is closely related to love and respect. It's not only about how one dresses but more often so about how one acts."

"Modesty out of respect for themselves and future husbands. Bodies aren't a public display. Sorry and disappointed by immodesty and lack of self respect. Modesty affects your actions. People think less of you and may treat you differently. Don't confuse a guy with flirting if you're not interested."

“Modesty is not only to be morally sound but to not entice men. Men are visually and sexually driven. How you dress and act shows if you are strong and independent or someone to be taken advantage of. By knowing that your body is god’s gift to you, you should treat it with dignity. Sexuality is a friend of beauty. It shouldn’t be abused. Flirting can be taken the wrong way by sending the wrong signals especially through touch, it can go where it wasn’t intended. Women are taught that if they’re sexy, they’ll be more attractive but really, men appreciate strong, modest women.”

“Modesty starts with the inside. The most beautiful women are those that are modest. A modest woman is more at peace with herself and more wholesome. Everyone wants attention, girls are finding it in the wrong ways. Immodest women don’t receive the right kind of attention elsewhere.”

“Modesty protects against impurity of thought and promotes fidelity. More modest=more beautiful. Immodesty implies less intelligence. Immodesty is misunderstood and its importance is underrepresented.”

“There’s an increase of women giving into men because they’re dressing immodestly and have little self respect. Girls shouldn’t call attention to themselves.

“helps women feel more valuable to themselves. Guys look for girls who don’t give everything away to every other guy. Some girls are almost too modest. It’s a mindset in how you interact with other people. Just act and dress in a way you know you should. It’s not a stigma. Some girls resent and run away from modesty and some are too afraid of being immodest.”

“Immodesty is a problem for women because they don’t know what is and isn’t modest.”

“Not acting and dressing like a hooker.”

“It’s just looking at flesh as something beautiful. We’ve become desensitized to the beauty of our existence. We only see the parts.”

“Femininity is the glory of mankind. A woman who is immodest is reflecting what her nature is to be.”

“Modesty is for purity. Purity is to see God more clearly. Saddened when girls you respect dress immodest. They dress that way for natural reasons and the desire to be liked and loved which are good desires but they use improper means to get to that end. You care more for what other people think of you than God. Immodesty is vanity. Perceive immodest girls as being immature.”

“To protect their beauty. Many girls are unaware of how they present themselves in an immodest and flirtatious way. Girls set the standard for interaction in how they dress.”

“Guys’ holiness and girls’ modesty are intertwined.”