Respect

That one word, Respect, has so much meaning behind it.

The first thing that some people think of when they think of respect is the 5th commandment in the Bible. Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which that the Lord your God has given you."

But that verse is another topic for another time. This post is going to be about how we as single or dating men need to respect our women in our lives.

According to a man named, Clifford Pugh, a writer on the Houston Chronicle, he states there are 21 ways to be a true gentleman. I'll provide a few of his "21 ways" , if you'd like to see the rest click here.

1. Keeps to the right, whether he is walking on a sidewalk, down a hallway or on the stairs.

5. Waits until a lady at the table lifts her fork before he takes his first bite.

8.  Always has an umbrella to share.

18. Never wears the same pair of blue jeans two days in a row.

Now I don't know about you, but I don't own an umbrella. I also walk on the left of my Girlfriend, why? Because she's left handed and I'm right handed, and when we hold hands, it just feels right!

What does I mean to be a gentleman? Well I think the key word is RESPECT. Do you respect women as your equal? Or do you think of them as a lower sex than you and consider them servants in your eyes?

The "21 ways" that Clifford was talking about may help you appear to be more like a gentleman, but it doesn't necessarily show you respect the women in your life.

Single guys, think about this one. If you can't respect the random girls in your life as equals or do kind and nice things for them (holding doors open, talking appropriately, not ignoring them, etc.) than how do you think you'd be able to have a girlfriend, let alone a wife?

At the beginning of my relationship with my girlfriend, I didn't treat her with the amount of respect that I do now. Sure, I would hold the door open for her and stuff, but I treated her like a pet. I would buy her stuff, have fun with her and would expect her to love me and only be around me.

 

However, she has her own life. She is her own person. She has her own soul. She has her own personality. I can't control her. I have to respect her as her, being herself.

And let me tell you...on a personal testimony... After respecting her more, I have come to learn to love her more, I have more fun with her, I trust her more, and I love to be with her more. It's amazing.

So men, respect those women in your life. They deserve it and so do you.

God bless,
Josiah

Modest is Hottest

I'm just going jump in and start things off by coming out with one of my biggest struggles (and something I will be posting about a lot): Fashion.

When I say fashion, I mean worldly fashion. Growing up, my parents were very strict about what I wore. Shorts and skirts could on be a couple of inches above my knees and shirts couldn't be strapless, spaghetti strapped, or too low cut. This of course is all good and modest, but I hated it. I spent so much of my time wishing I could wear shorts like that girl in the magazine or a skirt like one of my friends. As I got older, I pushed and pushed at the rules. Finally, when I was 17, they basically dropped all the rules for me since I was "almost an adult." I got to wear the outfits I had dreamed of being able to wear.

But, during that time, I also wasn't exactly into being a Christian.

Things were rough at home. I wanted to do my own thing because it felt better. Deep down, I was an angry person and there was no room for God anywhere.

Most of the time, I just didn't want to be me. I wanted to be like models and actresses whom I thought were beautiful and had the dream life.

I also wanted to be someone and mean something.  In my mind, that meant being famous, looking good, and being "all that".

Boy, was I so wrong.

I've been thousands of miles away from home for about a month now. It has been some of the most life changing weeks ever. I rededicated my life to God. But with that has come the struggle of letting things go, like the kind of clothes I loved to wear. And this is honestly one of the toughest things for me to do.

There was a feeling a freedom when I could wear whatever I wanted to. I could expose my body as much as I wanted, and even here at the Christian college that I go to, I could get away with a lot.
But having that kind of mindset is careless.
Something I've learned the past few weeks is that there are so many more aspects to modesty that are really important. 
 The Bible says that girls should be modest. 
1 Timothy 2:9: “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel and moderation, not with the braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing."
Along with that, being modest is respectful to not only yourself, but to others. Especially when you have a boyfriend. 
Showing off your stomach, bum, and all the kind of stuff may considered "pretty" and "cute", but that's not going to get you a guy who respects you and wants you for you. It attracts attention for the wrong reasons. If you're looking for a relationship, it should not be based off of your body, especially when it comes to having a Godly relationship. 
I feel like Christian girls still parade around showing off all they have. I know I have. And I've found out that it makes things very complicated and such a struggle when it comes to guys. 
If you want to have a solid, Godly relationship with a guy, and yet you wear exposing clothing, it's going to bring you and your guy down. Guys think totally different then girls, and clothing is so distracting to them. It's harder to stay on track. That's not good. 
Not only is it distracting to your guy, but it can be and is to other guys. Not only are you exposing yourself to that one guy, but everyone else can see what you have. 
Trust me, it'll make your guy a nervous wreck. But he doesn't need the stress of that. Neither of you do. 
Respect yourself, and your guy. 

Like the title says, modest is hottest. Some of the most beautiful women in history are models of modesty. Coco Chanel is one of my favorites. She was a designer and revolutionized women's fashion. She popularized pant suits and trousers for women. But she also emphasized the power and elegance of women by keeping that modest image.




It is possible to be beautiful, feel beautiful, and be fashionable in a modest way. Don't feel pressured by the media and mindset of today's mindset. True beauty comes from within.