Summer Time Modesty

"How short is too short?" If you ever had to asked yourself that question, it's probably too short. 

So summer is almost here and with it comes the heat, cold ice cream and a lot of time by at least some form of water; the beach, water parks, the pool, a lake, your bathtub ;) And with the beauty of summer also comes dresses, sandals, shorts, skirts and swimsuits.

Yesterday I went on a hunt to find some dresses. Simply stated, dresses are a cure to a "I hit the snooze button too many time" kind of morning or a "I don't know what to wear to this thing" event. Dresses are just simple and I love them. The fashion industry have seriously put out a great variety of style of dresses, maxi dress, midi dress, peplum style dresses, stripes, prints, floral, polka dots, etc. There are so many to choose from, but what I was encountered with yesterday was the lack of length to most of theses dresses.

Since it's summer, I don't always want to have to wear leggings under a cute dress because it's too short. Or I don't always have to wear flats because if I wear heels the short dress length looks even shorter. I wondered why can't they (whoever they are) just make dresses that are cute but not so short that they resemble shirts.
I did find some cute dresses but again, I would have to modify them in order to wear them comfortably without worrying about the length.



Here are few tips I found for dressing modestly:
1) Include the Lord Jesus in your wardrobe

Me trying on dresses just for fun
some time last year :) 

- I am in constant conversation with the Lord, whether it is at work, in the car, at the store. So when you go shopping before you even purchase that reeeaaal short skirts or deep low  shirt and have to waste your time to return it or waste the money on it or have temptation as an option right in your closet. Just talk with Jesus right then and there as you are shopping and include Him in your purchases. Its as simple as asking your friend, "Hey, what do you think of this shirt?" If you ask, trust me He will answer you because you chose to include Him in your daily life.
2) Include the Lord as you're choosing your outfit for the day 
- Many of us have items in our closets, base on our body types and where we are going that we have to modify to complete "the look". Sometimes its throwing a jacket over a shirt or a tank top under a dress or a shirt or leggings under a too short dress. If you include him in your outfit choices, not only does the Lord come up with some wonderful combination of pieces that you would have never thought to put together but He will also gently remind you to fix certain things before you step out the door.
3) Pray about it!
- Everything we do stems from the heart. And everything we do as Christians should be to glorify God the Father. Yes, even down to how we represent Him in our clothing. Can you imagine a United States Ambassadors showing up to an international gala or affairs dressed in scrumpy clothes? There would be criticism and speculation on our country, because he or she is our representatives.

These are all so cute.. dresses, dresses, dresses. :) 

So pray about it. If you see yourself always heading towards the skin tight barely there clothing, honestly sit down and ask the Lord why is it that you want to wear those kind of clothing. Remember what we put on our body, tells a lot about how we want the world to see us and to treat us.
4) Ask a trustworthy Godly friend for an outfit check
- If that person lives with you, it will make it easier. If you are married, ask your spouse. If you are maybe meeting your friend, it's never too late, ask her how you look and if it looks good then great! If you missed something that simply you couldn't see, then next time you know for that outfit. I know many people might be rolling their eyes thinking, "I'm not doing that. I am grown! I include my friends in my style when I want to. But this is my body and I can dress however I want to." Well, if you are a Christian and you believe on the Word of God and the Word is your guide, the Bible says that we are not our own. Our bodies are not even our own, we were brought with a high price, which is the Blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20).

You can find these anywhere, really.
They are always on some sort of sale. 

Basics you should always keep in your closet:
1) Tank tops (Different colored ones are good) but white, black, cream
2) Under Shorts (Again for short dresses)
3) Stockings (It's not your mama's stockings anymore, so many varieties now play around with them)

I usually have a hard time finding
these but just look around in
your favorite store for them.

*Sometimes high heels, bare legs and short skirts or dresses is not the best outfit choice, you can always throw on a skin-colored stockings to make the look more classy*
4) Leggings (Not a big fan of these for Summer but for Fall and Winter works great under things)

That is it! I just thought I would share my little experiences and hope this help!
Love you all :)

When Singleness Offends

     Four days ago I turned 25 years old! And I noticed (even before my birthday) the curiosity of others and hope from some of why I do not have a special guy friend aka a boyfriend and as I lay down on April 23rd, 2014 I had this thought, "Is my singleness beginning to bother or offend others?" I mean, it is my singleness after all. Now I know that all the people who have asked or wished or hope on my behalf is doing it out of good will, but sitting at my birthday table and hearing words like "I can't wait until I'm celebrating with you and your husband" tends to steal from that special moment in the present (Because I don't have a husband right now, it's just me) and it made me wonder if being alone, for the time being, leaves a bad taste in other's mouths.

       I think many singles would be so okay with their singleness season if there weren't so many voices echoing future statements like that. And trust me I get it, moms want to see their daughters or sons get married and friends want to see you happy in that special relationship, but my answer to all of this questioning is found in Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless." God said He would not withhold any good thing from me and I'm a good thing to my future spouse just as he will be a good thing to me (Check out Genesis 2:18). So if we have not yet met then me or him are not yet a good thing to each other. Oh, the time will come (If you have a desire to be married and God's will for your life is marriage) that you two will be a good to each other and you won't even know how this person came in your life and BOOM!

So my advice to myself and to you all who are single: 

-Don't force it, let the Lord lead you and seriously you have plenty of time. (Even if you think I'm (fill in the blank age) and my plan was to be married and have (this amount) of kids). Well, throw away your little plan, God is faithful and His plan will prevail and it's actually the better, more fulfilling plan for your life.

-Find a fun and funny answer to give to friends and family when they asked about your relationship status. Mine are kind of spontaneous to the moment but they work. It's not my job to "find me a boyfriend". My God is the ultimate matchmaker.

- Do I dare say, Don't think about it (even when everyone is else is thinking it for you). I fell in the trap of over thinking my singleness and becoming curious like the others to why I'm still single and is there something wrong with me? Well, over thinking about anything is not good. So think about and do something else. One of the things I love to do is volunteer and when I am volunteering and putting others before me, I am not thinking about single stuff. When I am working on something (at work or at home), I am not thinking about the pros and cons of being single. So get out and do something.

I pray this help someone or at least made you laugh a little. God is faithful, you are not forgotten and remember Jesus is our first Bridegroom. Have a great week!