Discretion
Good morning,
A few places in the Bible address personal issues of a man or a woman, yet the subjects are dealt with very discretely. The Bible talks about a woman adorning herself in modest apparel. We often read the words discrete and discretion, as well as other similar terms in the Bible.
Because of America’s biblical roots, a rule of life regarding discretion has always existed, both in the media and in private life. When the mini-skirt came out in the 60s, people were shocked! The two-piece swimming suit was, likewise, very shocking; it took decades to achieve our “acceptable” mindset in these areas. Television had very strict rules on what was and was not allowed to be shown. The common shows often had no bedroom or bathroom scenes ever shown; or, if on occasion a bedroom was shown, it was with twin beds and fully clothed people. Today, the most intimate parts of married life are commonly shown. We have simply lost our discretion.
Young ladies are far too comfortable talking about personal matters that should be private conversation. Intimate and personal subjects that would have never been referred to casually, have now become acceptable to discuss in a mixed crowd. We have lost the idea of discretion and propriety. My wife and I are so backward and old-fashioned (and probably emotionally unstable) that we even set some standards in our church for bridal showers where intimate gifts will be given. Only married ladies are invited, no single girls. Our young people do not need any more of “that” in their minds.
Proverbs 11:22 “As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.”
Yes, the young lady should be a woman of discretion; but God exalts the character trait of discretion for both men and women.
Proverbs 2:11 “Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:”
Proverbs 3:21 “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:”
Proverbs 5:2 “That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.”
Young couples should be very careful about their conversation. They should also be very careful about their texting. Much like children of the past generation who would write notes and, on occasion, said things in a note that they would never be so bold as to say face-to-face, so today, young people text comments, especially late at night, that they would never have the nerve to say eye-to-eye.
Moms should raise young ladies to talk very carefully about private things. Boys and girls should go to parents or perhaps a doctor when they are talking about personal matters. Discretion needs to be learned, but it cannot be taught if we are watching countless hours of television with the most beautiful and famous stars of Hollywood teaching our children that indiscretion is acceptable.
A father should treat his daughters with respect and dignity; he should treat them with all the honorable and gentlemanly manners of a respected man speaking to a respectable lady. Once my girls were over a couple of years old, I was never a part of giving them a bath or helping them dress. They were young ladies and deserved modesty and propriety from their father. I may be totally extreme and fanatical, but although I hugged my girls and kissed them often on the cheek, I never kissed one of my daughters on the lips.
The Bible talks about not looking on the nakedness of your family members, and I showed those verses to my boys because they were going to live in the same house with sisters, as well as with nieces and nephews. I wanted my boys to guard what they saw and to avoid situations in which they might see that which they should not see. I showed them the Scriptures and wanted them to know what God thought about modesty.
Leviticus 18:9 “The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.”
Leviticus 18:11 “The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.”
You may say what you want and do what you want; you are a free agent. As for me, I want no part of this indiscreet society in which nothing is private or modest, and worst of all, nothing is sacred. With four adult children, I can say I do not regret having a home where discretion was a part of our lives: in our personal lives, our television entertainment, and in relationships with others outside the home.
Pastor