Ladies, if you think modesty is a topic that belongs in the Victorian age, think again.

Close your eyes. Imagine the most desirable thing you can. What do you see? A white, sandy beach? A sparkling diamond? An ice cream sundae? Open your eyes. Now that you’ve pictured this object of desire, it’s hard to think about anything else for the moment, right?

Well, guys face the same thing every time they see a woman who is showing off more than she should. It’s not impossible, but it’s extremely difficult for them not to dwell on what they see. And if they dwell on what they see, they may end up letting lust creep in and then sin as a result.

God’s pretty clear on where he stands with sin: “The soul who sins shall die…” (Ezekiel 18:20). While this may seem extreme, if you are walking around in front of guys immodestly dressed, you are giving them a little helping hand in sinning. Essentially, looks can kill.

Someone else’s problem?

Now maybe you think that it’s up to the guys to look away if they have a particular weakness in that area, but our lives are saturated with images that bombard them every day. And it’s easier for them to look away from the television than it is to look away from you if you are having a conversation with them. Don’t be one more temptation that creates the tipping point for the guys in your life to sin.

God is also pretty clear about how we are supposed to behave when interacting with others who may have particular weaknesses. Christ Himself said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42). Your choice to show off a little too much skin can be enough to throw someone already struggling completely off balance spiritually.

Caring about your brother

For us women, sometimes it is hard to wrap our minds around all of this because we generally do not face this particular temptation. If you want to learn more about the topic and understand the issue better, I highly recommend reading Every Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. It’s a pretty eye-opening read.

This is tough stuff. We all want to be able to wear what we want to wear, and keeping up with the trends is “oh, so easy” since everyone else is wearing it and that is all we seem to see in our favorite stores. But God has and always will call us to live by a higher standard.

It is your and my responsibility to help the guys in our lives as they wage a daily battle against impurity. Before you put on your outfit for the day, ask if today is the day that your looks could kill.