Storytime: Wardrobe Malfunction
The week I sought guidance from the Holy Spirit on the topic for this article, He told me to speak about modesty. My self-righteous self said, “Yeah, I can speak on modesty because I always dress modestly”. Whew—Little did I know He would use my life to tell this story. During the same week, an incident occurred that the Holy Spirit used to humble me, which made me realise there’s more to myself than I know. My sincere prayer is that my story inspires you to search deeply into the desires of your own heart. Okay, storytime!
It was my good friend’s wedding, and I bought a dress, but I was not too fond of the shape of the skirt. So, I spent more money to get it tailored to my preference. When I took it to the tailor, I communicated that I wanted a pencil cut with a slit on the side. I showed her where I wanted the slit to end—just above the knee.
A few days later, I returned to the shop to get my dress. The tailor did her job—but the slit showed off the knee, thigh and upper thigh. When I sat down in the dress, the entire length of my right leg was out in open view. I was in the shop with my mom, two tailors and another customer. They all had different reactions to “the slit.” Mum exclaimed – “sew it up!”. The tailors and the other customer said, “She’s a young girl; she needs to look like a young girl”.
Here I am with a decision to make: do I ask the tailor to stitch the slit to knee length? Or do I leave it because I want to look like a “young girl?”. They told me it made no difference, and I would ruin the dress if the slit were closed up, that the dress looked beautiful the way it was. Doesn’t this sound like how the devil was tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden? At the same time, there was an inclination within me to say, “No – tell the tailor to close it up”. It was almost like the Holy Spirit was begging me. I felt so uneasy. I almost felt the Holy Spirit revolting against my flesh, resisting the choice I had made. I was stuck between these two voices, but unfortunately, I gave in to this voice contrary to the Holy Spirit, just like Eve did when she believed the devil.
“The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” Genesis 3:6, GNT
I allowed the loud voices in the shop to silence the voice shouting from within. I left the dress the way it was and went back home. Little did I know that the Holy Spirit awaited me at the door. He first had to make me admit that the slit was too high and that I should have got it locked a little more. I eventually did get the slit lowered. But even after that, the Holy Spirit dug deeper; He wanted to know why. Why did I not want to have the slit altered? And why did that reason overshadow His voice? This is what the Holy Spirit wanted to get to. He desired to reveal where the core of my loyalties lay. What was my genuine desire?
At this juncture, let’s do a quick “anatomy” lesson. Humans are made up of body, soul and spirit – 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The redemptive work of Jesus, through His Spirit, aims to save all three parts of us (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Your soul is made up of your intellect, your emotions and your will. The soul is also described as the mind or the heart. It is where your desires, longings, thoughts and intentions come from.
Before we were saved, our minds, containing our desires, thoughts and attitudes, were “At one time… far away from God”, making us “His enemies” Colossians 1:21,GNT. When we are saved, a transformation begins, with a “renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2). God begins a work in us by His Spirit, so we can desire to “work for God’s good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
The Holy Spirit wanted to use this incident as a transformation moment for me—a moment to renew my mind and to check how much of my will I have given to Him. At that moment, He showed me that there were still parts of my will I had not surrendered to Him. A part of me was still conscious about how others saw me. I didn’t want to be the odd one out. I was concerned about how I would be compared to the other girls.
Modesty runs much deeper than just covering up. It’s a heart posture. It’s worship. And when you have that revelation, no one will have to convince you to dress modestly and decently (1 Timothy 2:9-10). Some people mask their refusal to submit to the Holy Spirit with the term “everyone has their convictions”. I would ask these people… “could it be that you’ve been avoiding this topic with the Holy Spirit?”.
I want to ask the men reading this article – what do you find attractive? Maybe your social media searches and likes will tell you. Why does the pretty half-unclad lady captivate you more than a similarly beautiful, modestly dressed lady? Search your heart.
One sure way to search out your true desires is by consuming the word of God. David hid the word of God in His heart so He wouldn’t sin. How does it work? As you read His word, it begins to live in you. Its job is to “judge the thoughts and intents” of your heart” (Hebrews 4:12,MEV). It helps you scan your heart and intentions to determine why you should or should not go down a particular path. It presents the choice God wants you to make, Whether with dressing, money, music, or food.
This is the bottom line: God is looking for our hearts. He wants it to be wholly His. And God wants to help you come to that point. That’s what His Spirit is for. So, if you have a wardrobe malfunction moment like me, listen out for the voice of the Holy Spirit and submit to the lesson He wants you to learn because that is the only way we become submitted and totally surrendered to God.
