The last time we talked about modesty, I shared a link to C.J. Mahaney`s preaching entitled The Soul of Modesty. One of those which really struck me the most was when he said that after listening to the preaching, he hopes that the ladies would try their best to apply what they heard and learned.

I know many of us girls, upon learning about modesty really want in our hearts to become modest women in the way we dress up. But it`s the application part that`s a bit hard and confusing.

Which clothes are modest? Which are not?
Is my dress showing too much skin?
Is this skirt just right, or too short?

Are there guidelines to follow about dressing up modestly?

Here are three easy steps we can do to check if our clothes are just alright.

1. The Hallelujah Test

This is basically raising your both of your hands (like how you do when on a rollercoaster). If your tee moves up and shows a bit of your stomach, then that means it`s too short or your pants are too low. The same thing goes for your skirt or dress.

2. Check your skirt, dress, and neckline if they are “revealing” when you move, sit or bend.

The most frustrating part  is to get out of the house thinking our dress is just alright until we sit down and or move to pick up something, esp. when riding public transport. (I’ve seen a lot of girls with that problematic look on their faces in public transport and old guys begin staring at them). It’s really helpful to check before we even go out the door. If your dress is long enough when you are walking but gets too short when you sit or wear your heels, you can wear leggings.

3. Ask you Dad, brother or a trusted friend about what your wear.

I find it really cool that my guy friends in church and in my previous church are too gentlemen to remind the girls around about what they wear. I have this Kuya (older brother) from Cornerstone who’s so kind to tell his girl friends when something is too short or too revealing.

The godly men around you…and your Dad! They know which clothes command respect or attract undue attention. And they care about you. So go ask them before leaving the house.

As I end, I would like to share with you these text messages left by Christian teen guys in TheRebelution’s Modesty survey.

I really like what one of these young men said, that modesty shouldn’t be legalistic. It’s really an affair of the heart and being right with the Lord.

We girls are so deeply loved and cherished by Lord and I pray that we would know that love in even more deeper ways that we have experienced before.

Have a great day!


If you (guys)  could say one thing to your sisters in Christ about modesty, what would it be


Age 18 | First, don't be legalistic about clothing. Modesty isn't a list of dos and don'ts but a matter of the heart. Be sure you are in the right place with God and that you aren't trying to make guys stumble and you'll be fine 99% of the time. Secondly, PLEASE, talk with your parents, especially your fathers, about modest dress. Seek advice from older women in your church, your mother, older sisters who can guide you, or experienced friends.

Age 24 | Sisters in Christ, you really have no concept of the struggles that guys face on a daily basis. Please, please, please take a higher standard in the ways you dress. True, we men are responsible for our thoughts and actions before the Lord, but it is such a blessing when we know that we can spend time with our sisters in Christ, enjoying their fellowship without having to constantly be on guard against ungodly thoughts brought about by the inappropriate ways they sometimes dress.

I`m wearing Ava`s tiara around the house today. Actually…{Oh, this is embarrassing} I`ve tried it on a few times since she brought home the crown last week. The girl left her crown on a shelf above the computer and it looks so pretty to just lie there. So I pick it up to wear it for a while, and take a little peek at the mirror. haha Excuses!

 

Seriously, you should get your Mom a tiara and let her wear it while doing her chores. I don`t know but it just works reminding a lady that she is a princess {a valuable daughter of the King} even while doing mundane house chores. I feel like one today. {I was about to take it off when my Mom saw me and told me not to. So, I wore it while doing my chores, over lunch, and even until now. It`s funny but it feels so cute! And don`t laugh at me, okay. But I do feel a bit like a princess.}

 

Have you ever that? When you`re wearing something princess-like, you also act like a princess…When you wear something lady-like, you walk and talk like a lady. When you wear baggy jeans and a huge t-shirt, you sit on the couch and feed on a tub of popcorn like a baseball guy wearing the same baggy jeans and shirt. How we dress sometimes influence the way we act, and talk and walk!

 

Maybe this could be a short follow up to last week`s topic about dressing up and modesty. When you dress modestly you also begin act modestly. I`ve never seen a lady in a sweet, flowing skirt scream and jump like a guy! Girls naturally act girly when they wear something girly, and act like a guy when they wear something a guy would wear.

 

But of course, modesty in always affair of the heart. You can choose what you wear but it ultimately is about what goes on inside your heart. Choose to be godly and humble and follow Jesus everyday…

 

So, are you wearing modesty today?

Ava and I were both up till midnight tonight ( well, she`s asleep now but I`m still wide awake). We were watching on YouTube together, looking for something beautiful both of us haven't watched yet. It was a really pretty night. We haven`t done this in a long time.


We ended up reading on Kuya Kevin`s blog about modesty (aka. dressing up and acting appropriately) and  Ava and I read it together, although I`ve read it a couple of times before.

I found that I really don`t get so tired of reading topics on modesty. Not that I`m a fanatic or anything, but I find myself needed to reminded as well.  I know I write about modesty and I encourage girls to dress and act modestly but that doesn`t exempt me from sometimes wanting {aka. being tempted} to wear that cute little mini skirt on a bright summer morning. Esp. when all the other girls are also wearing them.

Sometimes I really pull that little thing out my closet and attempt to wear it. And a battle in mind begins. Protecting my brothers gets least in my mind. Then I do the Hallelujah test {raising your hands and see how high the skirt goes up}, fail it, and get reminded of God`s desire to make me… and see me pure. That He intends me to be a humble, modest and godly woman.  Not to draw attention to myself and to be affirmed by the world of my beauty, but to set my heart focused on Him, because my beauty is in Him... in my obedience, humility, and desire to please Him. Then I put that little thing back in the closet, right where it`s been hiding.

This is a really good reminder today. Thank you, Ava for the linkie!

Sometimes, when I see a girl provocatively dress, I say to myself she probably doesn`t know that 101 guys are going to devour her in their minds today. But then again, maybe she does…

To be honest, I don`t know the truth—the truth why she chooses to dress the way she does, the way she chooses to walk, the way she chooses to act… I don`t know…
Because I`ve never sat  down with a girl and asked her, “Why?”

This was what struck me the most.

If a guy would ask us “Why?”, what are we gonna answer him?


A Little word from Paul.

And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.
                                                                                   1 Timothy 2:9-10

Our value is not on how the world affirms and accepts us. It is on what goes on inside that heart of hearts. It is on the God who approves of us. The God who wants to make us pure rather than popular.  Who desires to make us a godly example. Holy and exemplary, and full of love.

That little mini skirt would give a few more stares, but wouldn`t do anything beautiful to our hearts or to the men around us {esp. to those who are trying hard to be godly men}.And it only leaves us feeling more empty.

Doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it…

Let me repeat it again.



We become beautiful when when we do something beautiful for God. Not when we do something for the applause of the people around us.

Let`s look up on God and ask us to reveal how He sees us. Let`s ask us what He sees in us that He died on the cross for us, for Him to love us.

And I`m sure, Lord, whatever you see in us, it is that we are worth your love and you giving up life for us.

Thank you, Lord for seeing with all that love.

Whoa! I haven`t been posting on my blog so much these days. It has really been a cool week. I feel rested and I get to have much sleep most days.

I think it`s really in the time in between when you notice the beautiful things around you much easily, the little comforts you normally don`t take notice of but which if would be taken away would mean a lot to you.

 

Today was a normal day. Everyone was up for breakfast early and we fed on the left overs from Papa`s birthday celebration last night. Isn`t it great to have good food in the morning without doing all the intense cooking? We`ve got Chinese stir-fried noodles, spaghetti, black forest cake and a lot more. It was fun. Mom was laughing and singing over breakfast. We were teasing her that maybe the chocolate made her hyperactive. We had a warm, thoughtful breakfast even though it was raining quite hard.

 

And the rain…. The rain was good too! It was not the melancholic type of rain that makes you think of the past and what could have been. The sky was cloudy but it is bright and not gloomy. It was really a great morning afterall.

 

In church today, everyone had a good laugh. We laughed over snacks and talked about everything we could think of. The teasing of course, was there, and the boys looked funny when they get into the hotseat. We`ve got adorable young boys and girls who are funny and charming too.

 

On our way home, I wasn`t feeling melancholic but I can`t help but notice the cool wind as we rode that old, countryside-kind-of-bus. It took us some time to get a ride because of the rush hour but this old bus with ruffled curtains passed by. It feels very 90`s and I had a great time.

 

And dinner was fabulous. The roasted chicken tasted so good and I was savoring my part. I`ve never really enjoyed and savored food this way. I`m thankful I have a sense of taste. ;)

 

I wonder if all these realizations easily came to me because I`m in The Time In Between… Maybe.. just maybe…

 

God uses the time in between so you could notice how He smiles at you everyday… How He takes care of you… How He even feeds you.

 

I love having a God who opens my eyes to see the beautiful things of everyday. I love being loved by God everyday. ;)

 

PS. Have you my previous post called Beauty Queen? I really hope I didn`t offend anyone, my dearest girl friends. I came from a stressful, disheartening night where almost every girl I saw was “sensual and sexy and daring” and it was really emotional for me. My heart was so grieved. Still, I hope every single girls esp. Christian ladies would take a stand on this issue of modesty and become a godly example to all other ladies of our generation and the next.

 

Have a great weekend, friends!

 

We just got home from Ava`s talent night. And if there`s one word to describe it, it would be JAW-DROPPING. Ok, three words. Jaw-dropping. Hilarious. Crazy.

 

There were girls who were tossed in the air like stuntmen. Fairies who wore mosquito-net-thin dresses. A lot of sensual dancing. Murder scenes. Acrobatic stunts. Some even bordered on child abuse. Some blew fire. Others were morbid, complete with blood on her mouth for the finale. It was mind blowing!

 

But more than the jaw-dropping performances, what really struck me the most was how far girls would go just to win the crown. And it`s crazy how girls are ready to show even what should be well covered in clothes just to be the fairest of them all. It was heartbreaking. Honestly. I wonder if these girls knew that their beauty is not in how much skin they show but is in their hearts and in how they choose to live their lives.

 

The Essence of A Woman

In beauty pageants, they often ask what is the essence of a woman. Since I would probably not join one in my entire lifetime, let me answer the question now (I practiced this in front of the mirror sometime ago. Please don`t laugh at me. haha).

 

Host: So Cathy, this is your question…

Cathy smiles and takes a deep breath.

Host: What is the essence of a woman?

Cathy: That`s a beautiful question. Thank you. (haha)

Cathy: The essence of woman is in her PURPOSE.

 

Hmmm… On her purpose? Why?

 

A woman is valuable because her life is meant for a special purpose.

 

Stasi Eldredge explains it profoundly in her book Captivating.

When God creates Eve, he calls her an ezer kenegdo. 'It is not good for the man to be alone, I shall make him [an ezer kenegdo]' (Gen. 2:18 Alter). Hebrew scholar Robert Alter, who has spent years translating the book of Genesis, says that this phrase is 'notoriously difficult to translate.' The various attempts we have in English are "helper" or "companion" or the notorious "help meet." Why are these translations so incredibly wimpy, boring, flat...disappointing? What is a help meet, anyway? What little girl dances through the house singing "One day I shall be a help meet?" Companion? A dog can be a companion. Helper? Sounds like Hamburger Helper. Alter is getting close when he translates it "sustainer beside him".

The word ezer is used only twenty other places in the entire Old Testament. And in every other instance the person being described is God himself, when you need him to come through for you desperately."

You are a woman. An image bearer of God. The Crown of Creation. You were chosen before time and space, and you are wholly and deeply loved. You are sought after, pursued, and romanced, the passionate desire of your Fiance, Jesus. You are dangerous in your beauty and your life-giving power. And you are needed.

And that is crucial, dear heart. Whatever your particular calling, you are meant to grace the world with your dance, to follow the lead of Jesus wherever he leads you. He will lead you first to himself; and then, with him, he will lead you into the world that he loves and needs you to love.

 

Do Not Sell Your Beauty

 

My favorite story about beauty was a real-life testimony of an Armani model who was beautiful and popular—a top model. She went from one country to another modeling for top designers, living a wealthy and popular life until one day, Armani put his hands around her waist, noticed  she put on a little weight and told her she couldn`t model anymore.

 

She was devastated. She resorted to drugs and alcohol and tried to commit suicide. Later on, she decided to just move on and stay in Milan to look for someone who would take her as a model.

 

She took her portfolio and on her way  met an old man. She didn`t know what he said would change her life.

 

“Are you here to model, young lady? Don`t you know you cannot sell beauty. Go back home, my dear.”

 

You Cannot Sell Beauty.

The model said it was her first time to hear those words, that you cannot sell beauty. All her life, she was trained to model, to use her beauty to gain a living and achieve. How didn`t she know it long ago.

 

She went back home to America and later on knew the Lord. She`s now an inspirational speaker to girls and young ladies, teaching what real beauty is.

 

 

We may all be far away from the limelight Hollywood and the beauty industry but we may be “selling” our beauty in a different way.

 

We may be using our bodies, our faces,  our God-given beauty to gain the confidence, the admiration, the praises that our heart secretly desires.

 

I feel so strongly, my dear young lady friends, that beauty should not be used for the purpose of getting the admiration and praises of men.  Beauty should used to glorify the King and use it for the purpose why He created it—for Him and your husband and not just any other man or any other person.

 

Your beauty is not on how well you look outside, but on who you are inside. Not on your long, slender legs  or your slim figure but real beauty is in the strength of your heart, the length of your patience, the greatness of your love.

 

Do not waste your beauty. Do not use your physical beauty for the purpose other than what it was created for. Instead, develop the beauty of your heart and know you`re worth in the King who created you and says you`re beautiful!

 

You are beautiful! You are!

As a woman who has been ransomed and redeemed, you can be strong and tender. You speak to the world of God’s mercy, mystery, beauty, and his desire for intimate relationship. You are inviting; You can risk being vulnerable, offering the weight of your life as well as your need for more because you are safe in God’s love. You labor with God to bring forth life–in creativity, in work, in others. Your aching, awakened heart leads you to the feet of Jesus, where you wait on him and wait for him. The eyes of his heart are ever upon you. The King is captivated by your beauty.

Let`s live our lives to please the King, beautiful ladies! ;)

We need you. We need you to awaken to God more fully and to awaken to the desires of the heart that he placed within you so that you will come alive to him and to the role that is yours to play. Perhaps you are meant to be a concert musician or a teacher. Perhaps you are meant to be a neurologist or horse trainer. Perhaps you are to be an activist for ecology or the poor or the aged or the ill. You are certainly called to be a woman, wherever else he leads you.

I`ve been away for so long! It`s been a very busy week, but a very enthralling one, by the way! My Dad asked me to come with him, my Mom and another church elder to this Pastors Conference downtown and God was so amazing!

 

I was expecting big things to happen, but God showed me even more. Will tell you about that in another post `cause I would write down a whole page and forget that I`m supposed to write down my reading list to share with you.

 

Well, here`s what I`ve been reading this week. I`ve been copy and pasting this since Monday, but I guess I missed a few. So sorry about that. I`ll try to be more faithful doing this in the coming weeks.

 

Anyway, my fave for the week was Kuya Kevin`s The Power of A Modest Woman. I was reminded that modesty and purity is  an essential part of a lady`s feminine glory…And boys who don`t value that shouldn`t be considered. Okay, Kuya Kevin didn`t say the last statement. haha That was me.

 

It is very important for girls to be modest, not only to preserve themselves (I mean, ourselves) and to be holy before God, but this is also something that would test the motives and the heart of the guys who are pursuing us. I would feel very honored to be loved for what`s inside my heart rather than because of physical appearance or skills, with a love that`s unconditional. I`m sure you also feel the same way.

 

1. The Power of A Modest Woman, KuyaKevin.com

2. Collected Wisdom, Noel Piper.

3.What Parts of My Childhood Faith Must I Left Behind, Andrea Lucado.

4. Molly Piper`s blog. I started reading through everything in her blog when I first read her post about her second baby`s death. So encouraging!

This was from my journal, dated April 2009. It was one of the sweetest lessons God has taught me on a random morning, on my way to the office. He reminded me that He always sees us through the eyes of a Father, of a friend, and not that of someone who doesn`t know or love us. Read on and I hope you`d also be inspired to see others through the same eyes that sees you. This is for every lady out there who is pursuing modesty.

Today I learned not to judge people based on how they look.

I know it`s quite basic. You can`t judge people based on your first impression on them. But it`s actually a challenge to me sometimes, especially when it comes to girls who are a bit over what the word “modesty” implies.

I`m on my way to the office this morning, when the jeep I was riding stopped to get a passenger. I saw this girl walk by the window beside me. She was wearing a super fit gray tank top, a Laaarge bejeweled necklace, and a pair of red really-super-cling-tight pants which was the craziest `cause it really seemed like leggings to me, and which  I was afraid would burst any moment.) As she walked by my window, I was thinking “Ano ba namang babae yan. What in the world is she wearing?”. Then I noticed she looked young and innocent and believed that she could have looked better in a more laid-back outfit.

Before I could even move on from wishing about a more suitable outfit for her, someone in front of my seat called me “Ate”, and I realized that she was the girl I was criticizing a few seconds ago. She began asking me if I don`t remember her anymore. And I was not only silenced at the fact that I really don`t remember her at all, but also because I was surprised that the girl was someone I know.

She then began asking me questions about my old church, how I was doing… and slowly I began to figure out who she was. She was a friend from my family`s old church 3 years ago. Memories began to come back and I realized just how much I missed and love this girl.

I felt like something changed in my heart. The girl, who a few moments ago was an object of my judgment suddenly became someone I love. When I saw the girl as a stranger, I was taken aback by the way she dressed. But when I learned that she was a friend, I wanted to understand why she was like that, why she dressed the way she did. And I remembered that this girl had a lot of struggles going on in her life. She needs affection, attention, and love. Deep inside her is a little child longing for the approval of others. And I realized, I cannot judge her but SHOULD LOVE HER.

I just thought that God is seeing all girls (and boys, as well) in the eyes of a close friend, not in the eyes of a stranger. He knows the reason why some things happen the way they do. And he loves us, and believes that we can still be changed. ;)

This lesson is such a humbling experience for me.

LOVE.

Sometimes, when we`re doing the right thing, or when we`re trying to do the right thing, we tend to become self-righteous and we easily judge the people around us. But let us be reminded that we are called to love as much as we are called to be holy. You cannot “be holy” and not love. And you cannot “love” and not be holy. So as we pursue godliness, let us also pursue love; and love the people around us and not judge them but share with them about the God who loves them and who longs to embrace them and desires for them to spend every moment of their lives in His presence.

Let`s stay in love, ladies—with Jesus and with the people around us. Let`s see people through the eyes of God who never saw us as strangers but who treats us as the apple of His eyes every single day.

God bless you!

I had nothing to do the yesterday so I tried to come up with something using Photoshop. The other day, I had  just finished the first revision of the church poster and flyer that I was assigned with,     and it seems I had fun making silhouettes of people`s photos. So yesterday, when I saw this picture of Lee Seung Hyo, here`s what I came up with:

Now that was crazy. But haven’t you ever dreamed about starring in a romantic movie with your favorite movie star? Yeah, like highschool! haha (And how I wish I had a prettier picture, `cause that one`s really grainy! Tsk)

And don’t you ever dream of being on the magazine covers?

Okay. The last photos are too much. I tried to upload them on Facebook but kindda disgusting, aren’t they?

Actually, I changed my profile picture using one of these but I uploaded the wrong one--the first edit--and a friend posted a comment on my wall about the editing flaws on the hair, and it was freakin’ embarrassing. haha

Well, I don’t think I’ll ever want to do something like this again. Eeky! Not to mention, immodest. ;(

One thing I learned today: Learn to be content and love yourself just as you are. You may not be a model or a movie star, but you don’t have to Photoshop your face into models’ bodies. We are beautiful the way we are. ;) Always. And I`m laughing while writing that one.

But I might buy a dress like the one above `cause it`s so very pretty and smart. A longer one, by the way. And I MUST exercise! <3  Mom, Ava and I talked about walking all the way to the market every morning at 5.30am and walking back to our house. That`s 2 KM over all, just enough for warm-up, but would be a big change, a good start--with my sedentary lifestyle!

We are supposed to love ourselves for who we are, but that doesn`t mean that we won`t have to take care of ourselves anymore. We are called to take care of our bodies because they are a gift from God, they are beautifully handcrafted by the God of the universe Himself. Exercise, eat the right food, stay away from unhealthy things, keep a fit shape, and wear decent, presentable clothes. You don`t have extravagant. Well, that`s another story right there. But  taking care of oneself--that`s what a modest, godly woman should do. If we are taking care of our character, aren`t we also supposed to take care of our bodies. Both always goes hand in hand.

So having said that, who wants to go with me on a trip to the salon for a haircut? ;) Let`s go, girls!

Before I go, how about a poster with my name on it?

Okay, okay. Enough of this crazy thing. See you soon! ;)

Ok. Periwinkle was my favorite color in Grade 2 when my parents bought me the 48-color Crayola because I already needed them in school and I'm big enough not to break them. lolz

And it was not until I was in college that I learned that Periwinkle is the name of the purple flower we always had in our backyard. Or it is that flower? :p

Now what does it have to do with my blog? 

 Periwinkle is associated with the words:

   serene, purity,

    infinity

I believe that as we grow into lovely young women of God, we must always seek to be an example in purity, speech, behavior, and even in the way we dress up. It doesn't mean that we're gonna be left out with the latest fashion. It just means that as we keep with the times, we also keep our godly values intact and become ladies who, at first glance, can be recognized as Ambassadors of God. ;)


I couldn't imagine myself dressing up in banana leaves. lolz I,myself, love elegance. My black dress and pearl necklaces!!! And my inkling for cutie little stuff... and my  pretty Tropical Punch manicure! But then again, I would have to watch out where my skirt ends, and how low my neckline goes down. I would also have to check that my actions don't hurt anybody, like for example, my brothers in Christ. I would also need to make sure that in every word I say, every decision that I make even in little everyday stuff, that I am glorifying my Father and heaven and living like His daughter--a daughter of the King Himself.


So this is what this blog's gonna be about. The normal,everyday happenings for a young lady who's determined to live her life the Periwinkle* way. ;)