Christians and Modesty

I grew up in a Pentecostal Holiness church and for the most part it was good because of God moving in my life but there was a part of it that hugely impacted my life in a negative way... though I grew up in a church like that, I did not grow up dressing the same way. Most churches like that believe in wearing skirts, modest tops, no makeup, and not cutting hair. I was the exact opposite. I was still modest but just not their “kind” of modest.

My whole life I was belittled and judged by men and women for how I dressed. I’ve been called Jezebel to my face from the pulpit in front of everyone before. I’ve been told my relationship with God will never be right because of how I dress. I spent the majority of my life depressed about this. I love God and want to honor him. I never want to intentionally offend him. It made me question who I was as a person. It made me believe that I wasn’t worthy or qualified enough to go to heaven with God. It made me feel like I wasn’t enough for God. That I had to sacrifice more in order to please him. I tried to be like them. But it never felt right. Deep down, it just didn’t seem right for me. I felt like I was only wearing a skirt to get to Heaven. That’s not how it should be.

I have come a long way since those struggles. I’ve found peace in it and have realized who I am meant to be in Christ: just me. I may not wear skirts. I may wear makeup, and cut my hair sometimes. But that doesn’t define my relationship with God. What defines my relationship with God is how I serve him and his kingdom. I’ve just been a little upset about this because some women who have hurt me in the past have said a few things to me today about this topic and it just upsets me because of what I dealt with in the past and that I just wish they could see the bigger picture.