October 31, 2009
I have been studying the "virtuous woman" passage in Proverbs (Proverbs 31: 10-31) and of course, find much room for improvement in my life. What a beautiful gift from God, though...a specific outline of how to be a godly and virtuous wife and mother.
Recently I have noticed I am not as close to God as I should, and want, to be. I have drifted, ever so slightly, back to the ways of the world. I have become a master of excuses....I am too tired to read, we are running too late in the morning for morning devotional, we are too busy at night for evening devotional. But this distance has taken a toll on me and my family. We are angered more easily, less tolerant and compassionate towards one another, and much more selfish.
Proverbs 31 does not allow for these excuses..."She seeks wool and flax and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants." (Proverbs 31:13-15. A godly woman works hard for her family to provide food and clothing, she is up before everyone else preparing breakfast and readying herself and her household for the day. It does not sound like a morning at my house right now! "Honey...it's 6:45! Hurry up, get the kids dressed, grab a granola bar shove them in the car and get out the door by 7:15!" This also usually includes at least 1 argument from each child..."I don't want to wear that, I don't want a granola bar, I am tired, I don't want to get up and go to school, etc." How easily this can be avoided if we prepare in advance!
Proverbs 31:25-27 says "Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." To me, there is an expectation of gentle kindness in a woman. Strong and honorable, yet wise and kind. Not harsh and angry, nor easily frustrated. I think back to when I was a child and whenever I needed a soft, kind word I looked to the women in my live (my mother and grandmother). It is my duty as a wife and mother to be the peacemaker, the quiet and gentle voice of reason in a sea of chaos that we seem to be drowning in daily with school, work, homework, meetings, and other worldly obligations.
Ultimately, I strive to live up to these standards set forth by God for in the last 2 verses is His promise "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Giver her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:30-31. What a wonderful promise and blessing.
I have far to go and fall far short of a "virtuous woman" according to God, but I have a God who loves me and makes up for my imperfections with His perfect grace.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Back to Square One
10/27/09
Well...I started this blog because I wanted to have someone or something to hold me accountable to my goal of starting a healthier lifestyle. I have talked my way out of, around, over and under that purpose, but not really done a good job of sticking to it.
This weekend, my husband and I attended the funeral of a dear friend's mother. As I watched the slide show of pictures at the memorial service, it struck me how many of those pictures, especially the ones with her granddaughter who is the same age as my oldest, were taken in the hospital. Many of her medical problems were due to an unhealthy lifestyle and were, for the most part, preventable or at least controllable.
So here I go again, back to square one. I am trusting God to go exceedingly, abundantly beyond all I can ask or think and help me to GET HEALTHY! I cannot do it on my own. I know that. It will not be easy, but most things worth having or doing are not easy. There will be challenges, obstacles, and frustrations. The devil will take this as an open invitation to attack me and my goals. But God is able.
I believe that God wants us all to be good stewards of the blessings He gives us...money, family, health, etc. I have not been a good steward of my health and body, but it is not too late. It is never too late. God wants to be in ALL parts of my life, even this one!
I pray that God will bless my goal to get healthy, that He will keep me strong and help me make wise decisions about my health. I pray that my journey, whether a success or failure or somewhere in between, will help or inspire someone who may need it.
God bless...stay tuned!
Well...I started this blog because I wanted to have someone or something to hold me accountable to my goal of starting a healthier lifestyle. I have talked my way out of, around, over and under that purpose, but not really done a good job of sticking to it.
This weekend, my husband and I attended the funeral of a dear friend's mother. As I watched the slide show of pictures at the memorial service, it struck me how many of those pictures, especially the ones with her granddaughter who is the same age as my oldest, were taken in the hospital. Many of her medical problems were due to an unhealthy lifestyle and were, for the most part, preventable or at least controllable.
So here I go again, back to square one. I am trusting God to go exceedingly, abundantly beyond all I can ask or think and help me to GET HEALTHY! I cannot do it on my own. I know that. It will not be easy, but most things worth having or doing are not easy. There will be challenges, obstacles, and frustrations. The devil will take this as an open invitation to attack me and my goals. But God is able.
I believe that God wants us all to be good stewards of the blessings He gives us...money, family, health, etc. I have not been a good steward of my health and body, but it is not too late. It is never too late. God wants to be in ALL parts of my life, even this one!
I pray that God will bless my goal to get healthy, that He will keep me strong and help me make wise decisions about my health. I pray that my journey, whether a success or failure or somewhere in between, will help or inspire someone who may need it.
God bless...stay tuned!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Truth
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free"...John 8:32
Today I received a call from my boss that upset me a lot. I won't get into the details, but the general tone was that "so and so thinks you are too hard on this person and wants you to be more diplomatic and encouraging, rather than negative and critical". I took this very hard because I have often been labeled as not a "people person". I have prayed about this frequently and intensely over the past few years, but even more so over that past few months and I feel that God has truly changed my spirit from being judgmental and angry (mostly out of fear of being hurt) to quiet and accepting. I know He has not finished, not even close, but I certainly feel that I have changed significantly in the past year. So to hear today that I have offended more than one person I work with and have come across as critical and judgmental, was a serious blow to my self-esteem.
So God sent me our daily devotional with our children and reminded me that it matters not what the world says of me, but what God knows about me. And I committed that I would hand this over to Him to allow him to continue his work in me.
1 John 3:1 says "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." I think God is reminding us that we should not concern ourselves with the standards of the world, but only with His standards. I am a child of God, chosen by Him to receive His gift of grace. I do not doubt His ability to create in me a new person, a compassionate, caring, kind and generous spirit.
So tonight I taught my children and God taught me....do not concern yourself with what others may say or think, but concern yourself with what God thinks. Remember that he made you just the way you are for a specific purpose, His purpose, and you are perfected in Him.
Today I received a call from my boss that upset me a lot. I won't get into the details, but the general tone was that "so and so thinks you are too hard on this person and wants you to be more diplomatic and encouraging, rather than negative and critical". I took this very hard because I have often been labeled as not a "people person". I have prayed about this frequently and intensely over the past few years, but even more so over that past few months and I feel that God has truly changed my spirit from being judgmental and angry (mostly out of fear of being hurt) to quiet and accepting. I know He has not finished, not even close, but I certainly feel that I have changed significantly in the past year. So to hear today that I have offended more than one person I work with and have come across as critical and judgmental, was a serious blow to my self-esteem.
So God sent me our daily devotional with our children and reminded me that it matters not what the world says of me, but what God knows about me. And I committed that I would hand this over to Him to allow him to continue his work in me.
1 John 3:1 says "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." I think God is reminding us that we should not concern ourselves with the standards of the world, but only with His standards. I am a child of God, chosen by Him to receive His gift of grace. I do not doubt His ability to create in me a new person, a compassionate, caring, kind and generous spirit.
So tonight I taught my children and God taught me....do not concern yourself with what others may say or think, but concern yourself with what God thinks. Remember that he made you just the way you are for a specific purpose, His purpose, and you are perfected in Him.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Grace
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life"...John 3:16
What blessed familiar words.
I was thinking today of how to explain God's gift of salvation to my children. Logan has started thanking Jesus for dying for our sins during prayer time...and that is such a beautiful blessing. But I wonder how much he understands the magnitude of that gift. I am...well, let's just say "older" than Logan...and I still have a hard time comprehending the magnitude of what God did for me when He sent His Son....His one and only Son...to this earth to die a horrible and wretched death on the cross, just so that I could have a home in Heaven.
So here is what I thought of...imagine you are taken hostage by a foreign power, and your captors go to the President of the United States of America, arguably the most powerful person on the planet, and say "We will release this person (you) if you (the President) will sacrifice your life for them." I don't think anyone reading this has any question that it would be an unlikely trade.
But Jesus....exponentially more great and powerful than any man, laid down His life for me. And if I was the ONLY person in all time on all the earth to believe and accept His gift of grace, He would still die for me. How amazing!
I think sometimes we forget, or underplay, or have a hard time comprehending that Jesus didn't die for the group of people labeled "Christians", He did not sacrifice himself on the cross for "the Church"; He died for me. Just me. And you. Just you. And all that He asks in return is your faith in Him. A personal, individual, daily walk with Christ. Not on Sunday, not in church, not at Wednesday night Bible study, but in the car on the way to work, in the board meeting, in the kitchen cooking lunch for the kids, every minute of every day.
I recently read about a lake in Minnesota that is only warm for about 8 weeks in the summer. It is a glacier-fed lake and even at its warmest, only about the top 10 inches are really comfortably warm for swimming. I don't want to be like that lake, I want to be warm to the deepest depths of my being. I want to be enveloped in the heat of the Son, and warmed to the core, every day of my life.
My goal this week is to walk every day with God. Take a few minutes out of each day to spend some personal, close, individual time with Him.
Love and Prayers....
What blessed familiar words.
I was thinking today of how to explain God's gift of salvation to my children. Logan has started thanking Jesus for dying for our sins during prayer time...and that is such a beautiful blessing. But I wonder how much he understands the magnitude of that gift. I am...well, let's just say "older" than Logan...and I still have a hard time comprehending the magnitude of what God did for me when He sent His Son....His one and only Son...to this earth to die a horrible and wretched death on the cross, just so that I could have a home in Heaven.
So here is what I thought of...imagine you are taken hostage by a foreign power, and your captors go to the President of the United States of America, arguably the most powerful person on the planet, and say "We will release this person (you) if you (the President) will sacrifice your life for them." I don't think anyone reading this has any question that it would be an unlikely trade.
But Jesus....exponentially more great and powerful than any man, laid down His life for me. And if I was the ONLY person in all time on all the earth to believe and accept His gift of grace, He would still die for me. How amazing!
I think sometimes we forget, or underplay, or have a hard time comprehending that Jesus didn't die for the group of people labeled "Christians", He did not sacrifice himself on the cross for "the Church"; He died for me. Just me. And you. Just you. And all that He asks in return is your faith in Him. A personal, individual, daily walk with Christ. Not on Sunday, not in church, not at Wednesday night Bible study, but in the car on the way to work, in the board meeting, in the kitchen cooking lunch for the kids, every minute of every day.
I recently read about a lake in Minnesota that is only warm for about 8 weeks in the summer. It is a glacier-fed lake and even at its warmest, only about the top 10 inches are really comfortably warm for swimming. I don't want to be like that lake, I want to be warm to the deepest depths of my being. I want to be enveloped in the heat of the Son, and warmed to the core, every day of my life.
My goal this week is to walk every day with God. Take a few minutes out of each day to spend some personal, close, individual time with Him.
Love and Prayers....
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