(Photo by Selma Komisky)

The Purity of Coming Into Your Own

By Kailyn

In this day in age, we are more concerned about impressing people and what others think about us, that we lose respect for ourselves and forget the meaning of purity. Girls and guys get so caught up in the beauty standards that society has put on us that we base our worth off of the validation of others. The world tells us “don’t dress like this or people will get the wrong idea” or “you can’t dress like that or people will judge you” but what happens when you dress the way you feel comfortable and still walk in purity. 

What does it even mean to walk in purity? I think it’s to do the best we can to turn away from things that make us impure and could lead us to sin. Purity is how we act and how we handle situations that we know God would not approve of. We set an example to others when we walk in purity. In the Bible, it says “Let no one despise your youth but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity,” (1 Timothy 4:12). 

Everyone is born with a different body but you put the beauty into what you wear. Feeling comfortable in your skin is the most important thing and will make it easier to love yourself. When you are content with how you look, it brings you confidence and makes your day ten times better. RADIATING CONFIDENCE IS MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN WEARING THE NICEST OUTFIT! 

As Christians we have heard about “modesty” and “your body is the temple,” and it is very heavily pushed onto our generation. It is definitely important to respect your body because it is a sacred temple. Modesty is good but wear what makes you comfortable and what you feel good in. Your body is a temple and keeping it pure is very important. I Corinthians 6:20 says “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit” Your body is God’s gift to you and you have to take care of it. Don’t hurt or try to change your body for the benefit or attention of others. Body positivity will make you feel great in whatever you wear. 

Be happy with yourself instead of looking for validation from others. A lot of people believe that revealing skin will make you hot and attractive and will get you the guy or girl, but don’t give in to the pressure of society to fit into the beauty standard. Nobody is completely happy with how they look. Even the most attractive people have insecurities. God created us all differently. Love what God gave you because he made you perfect in his eyes and it’s hard to accept that sometimes when you feel unattractive and start to compare yourself to others. 

It’s better for us to know we don’t need validation if we have confidence in our own skin. So many people depend on the validation of others to feel good about themselves. If you love yourself and are happy with your body, we don’t need validation. We are beautiful and we are loved and accepted by God. You don’t need validation when we know that we are children of the king and that the creator of the universe loves us for who we are and we don’t need to change to impress him.

There is a lot of value in being comfortable in your own skin. It makes you feel better about yourself. Having pure intentions will keep you from dressing to impress other people. Being pure is dressing for yourself and not needing anyone to validate you. Sometimes we have heard don’t dress like this or that when it comes to purity and modesty. It is good to dress modestly but if you feel good in what you wear, it’s about radiating the confidence of who God made us to be, not so much about rules.