Let Your Light so Shine

Written by Mrs. Ellen B.

“Let your light so shine before men

that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” 

Matthew 5:16

Has it ever occurred to you that a majority of the people who see Christians as we walk through life will never know anything about us beyond our outward appearance?  Picture yourself walking in a mall on a busy shopping day.  You may offer a sales clerk a warm greeting or a gospel track.  You may engage in a conversation with an acquaintance.  But think of all of the people who will be acknowledged by no more than your friendly nod and more who will go entirely unnoticed by you.  To meet the challenge of letting our light shine for everyone who may see us in this life, we as Christian ladies should set goals with regard to our outward appearance along side our godly inward adornment.  According to the Word of God, our appearance should be modest, feminine, and lovely.

First and foremost, we should dress modestly.  It is God’s will that “women adorn themselves with proper clothing modestly and discreetly"  (I Timothy 2:9).  In this life, we may never know how we have tempted men who may notice us and turn to lustful thinking merely because we were careless or provocative in the way we dressed.  Christ said, “Every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart”  (Matthew 5:28).  Surely, we as Christian ladies agree that we do not want to cause any man to stumble in this way.  But where we differ could be upon the question as to what should be considered modest.  Some believe skirts should come to the knee: others believe they should reach to the ankle.  Some wear knit tops while others would not think of wearing such.  Then there are all of those lines many of us draw in between.  We should maintain whole-heartedly the standards placed upon us by the authorities who rule over us at home, church, school, or work.  But when the decision is ours alone, we should seek God’s leading with our whole heart, lusting not for costly array and the latest styles.  Our sole desire in our manner of dress should be to appear modest in God’s eyes.

Secondly, our countenance should be feminine.  The world has promoted unisex in clothing for men and women for decades.  The popular philosophy in our society denies marked differences between men and women.  God created men and women for special and very different purposes.  Men are to lead, protect, and provide for their families, while women are to support their husbands and bear children for the Lord.  In the Old Testament Law, God revealed to us that He does not approve of the unisex manner of dress.  “A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God”  (Deuteronomy 22:5).  When we plan our wardrobes, we should plan prayerfully that they be distinctly feminine.

Our third goal must be to appear lovely on the outside as well as within.  Our outward appearance should serve as a pleasant background for the beautiful person within.  We do not want others to think of fancy hair do’s and expensive jewelry when they remember us.  Rather let them picture our meek and quiet spirit, adorned with the neat and quiet backdrop of our apparel (I Peter 3:3-4).  Some rule out beautiful colors, jewelry, and hair do’s all together, but this does not seem to be the Lord’s intension for us.  The virtuous woman made garments of fine linen and purple for herself (Proverbs 31:22).  And a woman is supposed to be a crown for her husband (Proverbs 12:4).  Those young ladies who are wise will add loveliness to their appearance before marriage so that it becomes a part of them for a lifetime.

Reaching the goals of modesty, femininity, and loveliness may require hard work on our part.  We may have to go out of our way to acquire suitable attire.  We may need to exercise more and eat a more healthy diet.  Perhaps we should spend more time on our hair or cleaning our nails.  But surely the Lord has given most of us time somewhere in our busy lives to reach these goals, or He would not have given them to us.

We say that it is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside that really counts.  “For the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"  (I Samuel 16:7).  It is true that if we put emphasis on our outward appearance to the neglect of our heart relationship with the Lord and others, our appearance will become useless.  What is on the inside is by far most important.  But most people who see us in this life will never have more than our outward appearance to know us by because they only see us in passing.  Does our light shine for them?

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This page was last modified on Thursday, September 02, 2010