Is modesty in the closet? Consider the following scenarios:

You are visiting with a group of women about the upcoming high school prom. Your own daughter is frantically searching for the "perfect" dress to wear. She is uncomfortable with the fashionable scanty attire and frustrated by her lack of choices. One woman excitedly informs the group that her daughter found the "perfect" dress. She describes it, and then adds: "I didn't realize my little girl could look so sexy!" Everyone laughs.

You've invited friends over to watch Sunday afternoon football and enjoy a cookout. Everyone is rooting for his or her favorite team when a commercial interrupts to advertise a "male enhancement" product. Some of the husbands and wives hoot.

Society's view about modesty has drastically changed since our grandmother's day. What was once offensive is today socially acceptable. What was once spoken of only between husbands and wives is now open conversation. In the past modesty was a protected virtue. Today's society embraces immodesty as a natural expression of self.

God's Word calls us to a higher standard. We are instructed to live pure and holy lives. There is a promise in Titus 2:11-14: God's saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people. It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. [Jesus] gave Himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be His special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things (GOD'S WORD).

Society does not love our children as God does. His Word is like a fence around a home. It protects those in the home and provides a fertile garden where virtue has a chance to grow. Within this safe environment, parents who trust and use the Word are equipped to guard modesty, set protective boundaries for the path of life and point to a future of hope.

We need not be discouraged by the constant attacks of an immodest world or our own past mistakes. God has redeemed us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ! We are empowered by God's Word for modest and holy living! We are equipped for gentle witness! Through the study of God's Word and practice of mentoring, we are encouraged and equipped to confidently step out of our closet to live as modest women in an immodest age.

Judy Hayen, Linda Bartlett and Jill Botsford are the founders and partners of Titus 2 for Life, a ministry that helps older women mentor younger women.