We’ve been lead to believe that America “has arrived”, that the cycles of History no longer apply now that we’re autonomous and don’t have to answer to laws of economics, absolute truth, or even honesty. But because of our irresponsibility and lack of moral courage, our country may soon find itself in troubled times.

Like every other age, it will be a time for trusting God. And I have a great hope that as families and communities rely on God and each other, He will bless our godly men as they lead and protect them. One of the best things we can be doing as women is supporting our men as leaders of the families. Daily pray that God will give them wisdom and discernment as they seek to follow God’s law.

The sacrifices we’ll have to make will not be easy. But through thrift and devotion to God in the homes, families have the strength to thrive. As Abigail Adams said, “These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed.”

“There is nothing in all the influences and surroundings of the home of tender childhood so small that it does not leave its touch of beauty or of marring upon the life. . . . Wherever a child grows up it carries in its character the subtle impressions of the home in which it lives.”

- J.R. Miller, in Home Making

Despite the stereotypes, the point of modesty is not to distastefully cover every inch of flesh and look like a sack of potatoes. God is The Artist, Creator of the Universe, and dictates true Loveliness. We have to pick what clothes we wear every day, so let’s look at where it all starts - the heart.

If our hearts truly belong to the Lord, we will be living to please Him and actively showing love to others. Including the guys. I mean true, genuine love that sees past the outside, caring for their souls and edifying them in their walk with Christ. As daughters of the King, we are  called to this life of service called true love.

God created woman to complement and complete man. Our position as a man’s help-meet is not inferior, but essential to the man’s role as leader. So as encouragers, blessings and life-givers, that includes the way we dress. Men that are pursuing a deep relationship with Jesus don’t appreciate stumbling blocks, meaning immodesty. Have we considered that this can cause our brothers to have impure and corruptive thoughts? Men are visually assaulted on a daily basis, and in our culture it is increasingly difficult to keep one’s thoughts pure. We women aspiring to godliness need to reevaluate our hearts and our wardrobes.

Beauty of heart is a struggle we all face. None of us will ever get it perfectly down pat, but that’s the adventure God has called us to, learning to trust and obey Him who freely gives grace for it all. When the world looks at us, what will they see? An unsatisfied woman’s body? Or the forgiven soul of a woman filled with God’s grace and love?

As their sisters, we should be helping to protect the eyes and thoughts of the men around us, and it is our duty to refrain from echoing Hollywood’s constant trends of exposing what God ordained to be covered. Setting our eyes to holiness and truth, let goodness and grace be our first beauty, radiating humility, warmth and loveliness. Biblical femininity will embolden our men to become the strong godly leaders God has called them to be.

“…Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land…. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” - Proverbs 31:22b-23, 30-31

Sarah Mae is hosting a Modesty Fashion show at her blog Like A Warm Cup of Coffee.

This jean skirt has been the sturdy yet feminine base for nearly every outfit I’ve owned for the past two years. Today it’s paired with a patterned blue shirt and a taupe cardigan.

Don’t forget to check out all the other entries on Sarah Mae’s blog!

(BTW, my sister Emily just redesigned Sarah Mae’s blog!)

I received a comment the other day and thought it would make a great post:

“…I have a 4 year old boy who has shown great interest in drawing and painting. Several people have suggested we pursue his love of art. This may be a question for your mom but I figured I would start at the source. Can you recommend some starting points for us. I am creative but I can’t draw. I want to develop this talent but would love suggestions. I will be homeschooling him so I have time to pour into this skill….Thank you. -Amy”

Dear Amy,

It is so encouraging to find families who want to develop the gifts God has given them! The Creator of the universe made us in His image, and through our lives of creativity and honoring Him we glorify Him.

There isn’t any one formula that works for everyone, but there are some ideas that my parents implemented in my childhood that really made an impact. Looking back, I am very thankful for their gracious approach to letting us discover and create a lot on our own. Here’s a peek into what my childhood looked like:

I spent a short amount of time in a public school (kindergarten and half of first grade) and my teachers’ main concerns were that I drew on my assignment papers! They made sure mom knew about this “problem”. I even got in trouble once for not drawing braids on my Thanksgiving Indian like everyone else.

Once we were homeschooling we had all the time in the world to be curious, adventurous and creative. Emily and I spent much of our time reading (or looking at) books, playing, and (mostly me) drawing pictures. Our parents knew the value of keeping our young minds busy and learning through creative outlets, so plenty of crafting materials were always on hand. Mom and Dad gave us a few rules:

• 1) Whenever we were watching a movie or Mom was reading to us, we had to keep our hands busy
• 2) Whenever we had free time to play, it had to be “constructive free time”, not mindless video games or senseless movies, and…
• 3) We always had to clean up our mess after we were done creating.

~

By the time I was 9, and Emily 7, Mom had introduced us to basic sewing, embroidery, and crocheting, as well as watercolors and colored pencils. She had us keep each of our supplies in shoe boxes; one for embroidery, one for crochet…(Click here for a great post on art boxes!). When Mom would read aloud to us, or Dad was leading family devotions, we would pull out our little crochet project or paper and pencils.

Our encouraging parents made sure we had a few art supplies always within reach. It was a good combination of encouragement and creative support. The force that pulled all of these resources together was being inspired. One of my largest sources of inspiration has always come from books.

From the time when we were wee little girls, we have been going to the library. We would come home loaded with books on our favorite animals, crafts, countries we wanted to travel to, fairy tales, art, and especially children’s books with illustrations we couldn’t resist. The best thing of all, we were encouraged to spend lots of “quiet time” with books.

Being allowed to sit and look at books for hours nurtured my love for reading, learning and art. Through this appreciation I was able to learn a bit more on my own. Once Mom got a DickBlick catalog for me, I discovered a whole new host of art books. I wrote down a handful of titles and authors I wanted to check out at the library or find through inter-library loan.

In the world of books I can pursue and learn about my interests, whether they be acrylics, wood burning, cake decorating, caring for animals, sewing historical costumes, oil painting or watercolors.

This is where my greatest developments have sprung from; knowing what inspires me, and knowing how to learn. Mom and Dad gave me these resources by wisely teaching, guiding and protecting me wherever we were.

This is where I’d encourage parents: a healthy dose of fresh air, books, crafting materials, “constructive free time”, encouragement and prayer, all within a guided and structured schedule.

God bless you on your journey!

Here is a small essay I wrote on the the Rebelution:

Within the past century, the standards set for young adults have fallen to such a low level that absolutely no responsible behavior or productivity can be expected. A new movement called “the Rebelution” amongst a handful of our youth is now seeking to reclaim the standards of achievement once easily met by our forefathers. With energy and enthusiasm, they have proven that great things can be accomplished for God by “teenagers”.

This nation is flooded with rebellious, peer-dependent individualists, and a new rebellion of fearless determination to excel and serve God is spreading. Even the motto alone, “Do Hard Things”, is inspiring teens to make their lives worthwhile in the kingdom of God. While we are young and strong, these are the most energetic years of our lives that we can productively use for the glory of God. Never before has there been such a crucial time in History for young adults to make a stand for their beliefs and strive to win back a culture for Christ. Whether it is writing books and magazine articles, volunteering at the local mission, getting involved in politics, learning a new language, or producing God-honoring films, these “hard things” can make us a witness for Christ.

Throughout this Rebelution is the call to not let the culture look down on our youthfulness and let us think that because we are young, we are incapable of doing great things for Christ.Rightfully taking a stand for these important years and turning this culture’s expectations on its head, we can achieve tremendous feats with God.