Some Thoughts To Ponder (Blog Post #5)

I have been reading through the book "Beautiful In God's Eyes" by Elizabeth George for a little while now. It goes through Proverbs 31 one verse at a time. I just want to share some thoughts that stood out to me from her book that I think are encouraging for any woman who is trying to live a life pleasing to God and to her husband. 

Virtuous is used in the Old Testament to mean able, capable, mighty, strong, valiant, powerful, efficient, wealthy and worthy. Ways that we can daily develop virtuous character in our own lives include:

-Daily reading of God's word - "As you spend time gazing into God's word, the light of His truth brightens your motivation to live your life for His glory."

-Memorize God's word

-Spend time with other women who encourage your spiritual growth

-Read biographies of God's women of faith (ex. Amy Carmichael, Elisabeth Elliott, Edith Schaeffer)

-Focus on today - today is what our tomorrows are made of.

Characteristics of a virtuous woman:

*Pure

*Honest

*Industrious

*Thrifty

*Strong in Character

*Kind

*Wise

*Holy

*Her price is far above rubies

"I am to supply beauty in the lives of my husband and children as we struggle through life together. I am to light up the home with sparkle no matter how hard times are."

"God uses our faithful devotion to Him and our careful attention to His standards day by day, incident by incident, challenge by challenge over a lifetime to flesh out in us His divine beauty, a reflection of His image."

"Any and all of God's beautiful women should be worthy of this description: faithful, true, and constant; a solid rock in terms of her character, her marriage, her family, her relationships, and her ministry."

"She's a rock, but she's also a spring. She's tender, but she's also tough! Prompted by God and empowered by a heart full of His goodness, she bears down, follows through and finishes the task."

"Graced by her love for God, her family, and her home in her heart, she lives a life that overflows with energy, industry, delight and creativity. Her willing heart transforms her approach to even the mundane chores in her home."

"When you serve with a heart of joy, you refresh and revive tired souls and hurting spirits."

This is as far as I have gotten in the book so far but as you can tell, it's AMAZING and it is blessing me so much! Hopefully I will have more to post from it soon. Be encouraged!

Todays Beauty (Blog Post #4)

Today, I found beauty in the amazing colors of fall. The leaves on the trees were stunning as I was driving around today!

A Heart For My Husband (Blog Post #3)

The below poem is something that ministered to me in the past and speaks to me still. It is only through my devotion and relationship with God that I can maintain a marriage that is pleasing to Him. It is by viewing others through Christ's eyes that any relationship is maintained and sustained. When I lose sight of the Lord, my relationships become solely about me. What am I receiving from this person? What is this person doing for me? When I am focused on Jesus my relationship becomes about others. What can I give to bless this person? How can I serve my husband? My friends? My family? In doing this, I bring glory to the Lord and He is able to shine and work through me.

"That I may come near to my husband, draw me nearer to Thee than to him.

That I may know my husband, make me to know Thee more than him.

That I may love my husband with the perfect love of a perfectly whole heart, cause me to love Thee more than him and most of all.

That nothing may be between me and my husband, be Thou between us, every moment.

That we may be constantly together, draw us into separate loneliness with Thyself.

And when we meet breast to breast, O God, let it be upon Thine own."

-Temple Gairdner

Todays Beauty (Blog Post #2)

So, one thing that I thought of that I want to try and do each day is find just one thing from my day that stood out to me as something beautiful. Today, it was a million tiny rain drops reflecting sunlight off the leaves on the trees outside my window. What was beautiful in your day today?

A New Day (Blog Post #1)

So, here I am writing my first entry in my new blog. I don't know why but it makes me kind of nervous. It's almost like the feeling you get  on your first day of work at a new job. There is excitement, butterflies in your stomach, and nerves all working together. I'm sitting here already wondering, am I going to be able to keep up with posting like I want to? Is anyone even going to pay attention to what I share? Do I really even care if anyone reads my posts? I mean, I'm doing this more for me than anyone else right now (I know, selfish, huh?). I guess the best thing to do though is to just jump right in and get started! So wish me luck... Here I go!

"What we selfishly keep for ourselves we eventually lose, but what we give to the Lord, we keep forever." This is a quote that I came across in my Bible today as I was flipping through. I honestly have no idea if this is a quote said by someone else that I wrote down (usually I write down the persons name who said it next to the quote) or if it's something I actually wrote on my own while reading my devotions one day. Either way, this quote stood out and encouraged my heart. With where I am at in life right now, this spoke to me regarding my family. More particularly, my daughter Leilani. Yes, she is only 4 months old right now, but already I see time going by way too quickly. I want to find a way to keep her with me always and protect her from all of the hurt and pain that is out there in the world. Even though she is a gift to me from God, I don't necessarily want to "give her back" to Him. I realize something though... Even though it is a long ways off until she leaves our home one day, I need to start giving her to the Lord now. I need to be in constant prayer for her. Prayer for her soul, that she would one day come to know God and that she would live her life to the fullest for Him. I need to be praying for wisdom on how to raise her to be a Godly young woman who makes wise decisions. I need to be praying for her future spouse that he would know the Lord and that he would be a mighty man of God. I need to be praying for Gods protection over her very life. Every breath is a gift from God. In Him we live and move and have our being. I need to place Leilani in the hands of God to mold and shape as He sees fit and to lead where He would have her to go. May I never be a stumbling block in my daughters life. In giving her completely to the Lord I know that He will take care of her better than I ever could, not that I won't do my best as a parent, because I will! If I raise her simply for my purposes and to make me happy though, one day I will eventually lose her... Something for me to ponder...