Inner Beauty, Outward Faith

My daughter has been reading through a series of devotionals by Faithgirlz. Their main focus is on the idea of 'Inner Beauty, Outward Faith' based on 2 Corinthians 4:18 --- "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." These are great, relevant, age-appropriate devotionals for preteen girls. I highly recommend them!

From some of these devotionals came the discussion on the topic of dressing modestly. My daughter and I have talked about what it means and we have an understanding of what we are to look for when we go shopping for clothes. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my previous blog entry, we have found it increasingly difficult to find decent clothing for preteen girls these days.

Today, the clothes marketed to preteen girls fall into one of these categories: pants that are way too short or way too tight or having waist lines that are way too low, tops that are hugging the body or are cropped, tank tops with straps that are way too thin, or tops with graphics that are just not acceptable. We call these graphic t-shirts 'attitude shirts'. The one that tops the list, which my daughter and I still laugh about to this day, is a t-shirt we saw with the following printed on it: "saw it, wanted it, had a fit, got it!" I won't even start describing the styles of the dresses that are out there these days!

So, a question --- who decided that these styles are 'in' anyways? Seriously, they must not be a mother! So, what's a mother to do? Sew every piece of clothing that her preteen daughter will ever wear?!? No...I am not that domestic. Haha! Don't get me wrong --- I love sewing but I just don't have all that time to sit and sew! What I have done though is take some time (actually, a lot of time!) looking for stores that carry preteen clothing lines that are modest, yet not boring. Know what I mean? Clothes that my daughter can wear in order to stand up (for modesty) and also stand out. You'd be surprised to know which store fits this category (as of this moment, that is) --- it is La Senza Girl. Can you believe it? This is a good example of 'don't judge a book by its cover'! :-)

Sadly, this is the reality of the society in which we live. It is a society that does not promote modesty and purity. You don't need to go shopping for preteen girl clothing to notice this trend. Just look around --- this trend is clearly evident on huge billboards, on bus shelter advertisements, in magazines, on television, just to mention a few.

This is one of the many reasons why we, as parents, need to be even more intentional in keeping the communication lines open and the dialogue going with our children because it is very easy to lose them to the 'pattern of this world'. We need to instill in them the importance of offering up their bodies as living sacrifices to God, a spiritual act of worship.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe. Show the believers how to be pure."
---1 Timothy 4:12 NIrV

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will."
---Romans 12:1-2 NIV