I am not the Girl on Fire or Divergent, but do I still have a battle to fight?

we may not be characters in a YA dystopian thriller, but that doesn't mean we aren't fighting an important battle.

What is Modesty?

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

This has been a question I've been thinking about for a long time: how do you define modesty? Can there be one definition of modesty? 

So, I decided to look at a few sources to get an idea of what different people think modesty is.

According to Wikipedia, modesty is "a mode of dress and deportment intended to avoid encouraging sexual attraction in others..."

Although I guess that if you dress modestly, this can be a side effect, I don't think this definition covers even a fraction of what modesty really is.

Saint John Paul II said that the problem with pornography wasn't that it showed too much, but that it showed too little. What does he mean by this? Pornography shows not only the human body, but the person, as a sexual object with a sole purpose of sexual pleasure and instant gratification. Humanity is worth so much more than that, so much more than only being used for pleasure. In this Lifeteen post, the author says that this is the problem with immodesty.

So, with that in mind, we can say that immodesty is an objectification of the human body, and modesty is seeing the body as a vessel of the person within.

I once said that I wasn't modest. I'm still not sure if I am. Sure, I cover what needs to be covered, but in all honesty, it's not to reflect the dignity of my personhood, but to cover what I think is ugly.

So, I'm going to define modesty: Modesty is a way of dress which glorifies the Lord and reflects the dignity of the person.

We are called to glorify God in all that we do, not man. That includes modest dress and immodest dress. If we are dressing modestly simply to make sure that no one is sexually aroused by us, we are putting man before God. We are trying to please those around us.

Similarly, if we wear what is "cool" with the knowledge that it is not pleasing to God. We are putting man before God.

When you put something on, don't think what your grandmother or brother or father or best friend would think: think about what God would think.

 

100 Happy Days: Day 6

This is my dog, Thecla. I snapped a picture of her just as she decided it was time to lick her face.

100 Happy Days: Day 5

I posted this on Mothers' Day. It's a picture of my mom hugging me after I got my first tattoo, "strength" on my wrist. She encouraged me getting it, and never fails to remind me just how strong I am.

100 Happy Days: Day 4

Finding out I got an A in my Theology class, Lay Ministry, was the highlight of my week.

100 Happy Days: Day 3

Defending the Impractical Students

As of Thursday, I am officially halfway done with my college career. I can't even believe it. Freshman year went by so slow, but Sophomore year? I feel like I blinked, and then I was done.

I started off the fall semester  but finally taking the classes needed for my majors. I took Introduction to Literary Study I, and Introduction to Christian Theology. I also discovered that I'm good at philosophy, and really like it, to boot! Because I hate myself, I declared myself an English and Theology Major with a minor in Philosophy.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="279"] Katie before declaring her double major and minor.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="332"] Katie post-declaration of double major and minor.[/caption]

But really, I am so glad I took on that Philosophy minor. It goes beautifully with Theology and English, and I have learned so much because of the classes I've taken and the skills they have taught me. Even though Theology, English, & Philosophy are considered to be three of the most useless majors (rude), I am so passionate about all three and the good they can do in the world.

Really, is any major "practical"? It's incredibly rare for college students to find a job in their major right after graduation, and most majors require a Masters' degree to get anything done. You can't really do anything with a psychology or sociology degree unless you go to school for at least two more years.

There are going to be people who judge me for my decisions, but there are also so many people who support me, and even respect me for it. Something I have learned is that, often, my biggest judge is myself.  That's also the hardest judge to defend myself to. I can tell everyone why I've chosen my majors, "Because it's what I love", but when my inner judge comes out, no defense  is good enough to excuse my "crime" of impractical majors.

I find myself second guessing my English major almost daily, "Should I have gone with communications instead? What if no one wants to hire me simply because I'm an English major?" Maybe choosing communications would have been more practical, but it wouldn't have led me to the self-discovery and passion I've found as an English major.

In the long run, I hope that's what matter. When I'm sitting in a job interview, and my interviewer asks why I chose English as opposed to communications, maybe "because I loved it. Because I wanted to learn to analyze, and understand, and write about what I analyzed and understood. I wanted to see how the world influences art, and how art influences the world. I am learning that.

Would I love to have  a big house with a super stable job and a steady and heavy income? Well, duh. I am human. But I also know that things aren't going to make me happy. If depression has taught me anything, it is that you can get everything you want, and still feel worthless and unloved. Happiness is found in God.

I started this blog post out as "lessons I've learned after sophomore year" and it morphed into this... thing. Yeah, I'm not really sure what it is. But, I guess that's life, huh?

 

 

100 Happy Days: Day 1

This picture was taken the Saturday before finals. I was studying in the library with a friend for our American History class, which was also my hardest class. To help keep me awake, I got my favorite drink, and it made studying just that much better.

100 Happy Days: Day 2

The best study break? Watching the show you used to love when you were five :)

Empty Shelf Challenge Update (May)

At the beginning of the year, I decided to do the Empty Shelf Challenge that Jon Acuff is running. At the beginning/end of every month, I've been wanting to do an update and say which books I've read in that month, buuuuttt, I've forgotten every time. Except now! Here it is: The books I've read for the Empty Shelf Challenge 2014!

January

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins *

February

The Dead by James Joyce ~

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde ~

Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw ~

March

Forgiveness and Love by Glen Pettigrove ~

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene ~

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark ~

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle ~

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs ~

April

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles ~

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink ~

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ~

Atonement by Ian McEwan ~*

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane ~

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard ~

~read for school

*reread