7 Quick Takes: Friday's Favorites

Today I'm sharing 7 Quick Takes Favorites and linking up with Kelly at This Ain't The Lyceum.

1. Cara Strickland  guest posted on The Junia Project this wonderful post about what she learned whilst dating. I read this and cried tears of both sadness and joy to have someone articulate some of my experiences.

2. This post about getting to know a person instead of a potential future spouse made me rethink the way I think about meeting Mr. TDH.

3. Sarah Bessey wrote this post called "Damaged Goods" - yes yes yes.

4. Jayson Bradley nailed it in this post about "Christian cleavage." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

5. "To the Christian Men and Women Debating Yoga Pants" in Christianity Today - thank God someone wrote this. For the love, people.

6. Since we're finishing up the month dedicated to love and relationship-status-awareness, "Things It's OK to Feel When You're Single" and "I'm Single. Stop Pitying Me on Valentine's Day"  were especially appreciated. My Valentine's Day was fantastic, thanks, and while someday it will be a romantic day, this year it was a crepes-with-my-sister-and-friend day, and I had a great time. For real, no pity.

7. Finally, to end with some laughs, Mallory Ortberg's post on "If Stanley Tucci Were Your Boyfriend" is beautiful and perfect and true.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Not Alone Series: Modesty

It's Tuesday, which means Not Alone Series time! Linking up with Jen at Jumping in Puddles and Morgan at Follow and Believe.

Continuing our reflections about our make-up routines, let's chat about modesty! What does modesty mean to you? Does it just involve the clothes you wear and how you wear them? What about the things you say or do? In what ways can we improve our overall modesty?

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, 

holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,

 kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 

bearing with one another and, 

if one has a complaint against another,

 forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you,

 so you also must forgive.

 And above all these put on love,

 which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

 to which indeed you were called in one body.

 And be thankful.

Colossians 3:12-15

~

Clothe yourselves, all of you,

 with humility toward one another,

for “God opposes the proud 

but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5

Let's start with clothes. Clothing is important. I'm a big fan of clothes! When I think of dressing modestly, I think of honor and respect. Am I honoring God, myself, my family, the place I'm going, with my clothing? When I wear business-casual clothes to the office, I'm showing respect to my employers and my work. When I wear a little bit dressier of clothes to church, I'm honoring God with the effort. 

What about our attitudes? The above Scripture verses refer to several character qualities with which we should "clothe" ourselves. Modesty can be emulating these characteristics and pointing others to Christ with our words and actions. 

Obviously this is a very, very shallow look at an extremely complex issue, but hopefully we're are starting conversations. Thanks for hosting, Jen and Morgan, and see you next week!