Always a child...

             It's true, I will always be a child at heart. Sure, in life we must move on, grow up, and be mature enough to handle our own families eventually, but for some reason I will always believe in fairy-tales. I honestly believe that if Cinderella was a real person, she'd be my role model. I mean, she had such a sweet heart, she put up with evil step-sisters, and even when clothed in rags her kind heart and natural beauty shined like diamonds. And well, we also can't forget that a single pair of shoes changed her life. Of course it helped that she had fairy-godmother and was friends with mice that could sew. But even so, against all odds, her life was drastically changed. One night at a dance (she didn't even have a date!) and the next week she marries a prince and becomes a princess living in a beautiful castle. Thank goodness Christ did the same thing for us. One day a we're a wretched sinner, the next His glorious bride for all eternity. That's truly a "happily, ever after."

Letter from a knight...

"My dearest Jocelyn:

It is strange to think, I have not seen you in a month.
I have seen the new moon, but not you.
I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face.
The pieces of my broken heart can pass through the eye of a needle.
I miss you like the sun misses the flower.Like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter.
Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has sent me to.
I next compete in Paris. I'll find it empty and cold if you're not there.
Hope guides me. It gets me through the day and especially the night.The hope that after you leave my sight it will not be the last time I look upon you.
With all the love that I possess...I remain yours...

The knight of your heart.

William."


Poem from "A Knight's Tale" ^

The Winsome Princess

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her so he will have no lack of gain."

    Don't we all long to winsome? To win someone's heart? To be treasured and cherished? To be.... lovely. Yes, to be seen as someone who captivates a room. But to first be seen as lovely must not we also love? Love is not something given for personal gain, rather love is a selfless act. Giving up yourself and your needs to fulfill another's. And that what the last point is all about. A virtuous woman Loves. She cares for her home and she gives up herself to help those around her. Her beauty is one that does not fade. She fears the Lord. For it is said, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised." What makes this virtuous beauty the soul she is?

1. She extends - She reaches out to the poor. She feeds the hungry. She is a living example of someone serving God by serving "the least of these." Proverbs 31:20 states, 

"She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy."

She has a compassionate heart. Yes, a heart that we too should strive to have for she has a heart like God's. Isn't it true that the more time the spend with someone the more you become like them? A winsome heart - one like God's, can only be developed to its true beauty by spending time with Him. So fall in love with Him and His love will radiate off you touch all those around you.

2. She's kind - She's not a gossip. Only loving words flow from her mouth. It is said that "on her tongue is the law of kindness". Unfortunately, gossip is so present with girls my age, and I must admit, I really do struggle with this also. Its so easy to start talking about someone and not even realize it. Yet in this woman of God, sweetness is the only thing that pours from her lips. I wish I had this much self-control. Its something I think we girls should all strive for. While boys work their problems out sometimes through physical fights, girls use their words to cut through one another. Even grown women sometimes struggle with this. Its time we grow up and clean up the way we talk about other people.

3. She excels - Because of her kind heart, loving spirit, and clean lips she surpasses all other women in virtue. She is seen as a leader among woman. Her husband is known for his wisdom (Proverbs 31: 23) and now she is recognized also.

"Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."

God pointedly makes this one particular verse obvious in this chapter. So let's review, what are the characteristics this kind of woman posses?
A. She's wise (The Wise Little Princess)

• She seeks
• She considers
• She perceives

B. She's strong (The Warrior Princess)

• She stretches
• She makes
• She watches

C. She's loving (The Winsome Princess)

• She extends
• She is kind
• She excels

              Now before I finish this up, remember this. All these attributes come back a beautiful love relationship with God. These points should not be a do-list to become the "perfect" woman of God. Rather these are attributes that should appear naturally after being devoted to God. Remember - Jesus would rather have our hearts and our affection than our struggle for perfection.

The Warrior Princess

             Princesses. They're always full of such poise and fragility, yet are they warriors? Are they full of strength? As daughters of the Most High King, wouldn't we like to be princesses full of strength? For some reason I've found that "good Christian girls" are found by most people to be... sadly boring. That's not how it should be! Christian girls should not be viewed as predictable "good girls" but rather found to be surprisingly strong and enthralling! The second point of interest I found in a woman of purity (Proverbs 31) is Strength. It is said that she "girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms...strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come." I myself, am not a girl personally known for physical strength. Yet, I still wish to be viewed as strong. I want to be seen as someone who is confident in who she is, and who has a strength about her that can only be found in the Lord. What does a girl do to be so strong?
                    1. She stretches - Now I'm not talking about doing Pilates... she simply stretches herself out to those around her. It is said that "she stretches out her hands to the distaff (or womanhood), and her hand holds the spindle." Basically saying that she gives her friendship to the women she knows, and works hard with what she has. She's definitely not lazy. I know no one her probably holds a spindle or sews, but look and see this: her work is not futile or fruitless. She is helping those around her as much as she can. Using her strength to ensure that others are comfortable. She does not spread herself too thin, but stretches out her hand to the women of her community. Now before I move on to my next point know this... this strength is not her own. It comes from God alone. We in our own strength can not serve those around us to the full capacity, unless we have God's power with us. Once again, a strength that only comes through a love relationship with Him.
                  2.She makes - "She makes tapestries for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple." Purple... the color of royalty. She has made it clear she know who she is. The daughter of a King.  Do we make it known whose child we are? When people look at us can they tell by how we dress and act that we respect ourselves and the God who made us? It is also said that makes and sells clothing as her work. She is a working mother, yet not stressed. She receives back the fruit she has reaped,
" Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
                  3. She watches - She does not only supply herself the needs of her work, but also she watches over her home. She is like a mother bird in her nest, keeping all the small chicks warm and full. It is said that, "She watches over her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." What did that last part say again? "She does not eat the bread of idleness". Basically saying, she does not work idly (idle = lazy). She is once again, known as a hard worker. Some of us may be asking now, "I have no family to take care of, so how does this apply to me?" If in all this you get one thing, just know this... do not be lazy. In schoolwork or even in your devotional life. Do not become tired of following God. It should be an adventure, a journey,  so embrace the paths He's leading you on and don't become idle along the way. Yes, there will be times when the paths are hard or the way is dry and in a way boring, but even in those times embrace God's love and His ways. Take hold to his truths. A warrior princess is never lazy.

The Wise Little Princess

           So when reading through Proverbs 31 the first characteristic I found present in this virtuous woman was Wisdom. It is said, "she opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness." She searches out what was best for her family, but what really makes her a woman of such understanding?

               1. She seeks - She does not simply let things come to her, she seeks them out. It is said that "she seeks out wool and flax and willingly works with her hands." She pursues and looks for the best for her family. Now most of us here still have not gotten married or had a family so how does this apply to us? We need to focus on her characteristic of persistent searching. Is that how we deal with our relationship with God? I know that seeking God is one of the hardest things for me. I get caught up in the routine of doing devotions rather than being devoted. I sometimes just read my chapters for the day and don't think about it after that. But God calls us to dive into his word and seek out truth! It should not be a repetitive thing on our "to-do" list, but rather something we do because we want to know more about God. Something we do because we want to further our relationship with Him. We want to fall in love with Him.

              2. She considers - She also does not simply settle for the the first thing she seeks out, she considers it also. She uses the wisdom God has given her to decide what is best. It is said that "she considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard." Without weighing her options before-hand she may have not gained extra profits. Now I also don't see any of us buying a field or vineyard anytime soon, yet once again we look to what causes her to do these kind of things. She meditates and studies. Do we use these methods when seeking God? Do we consider the words we read. Maybe we have taken the first step and sought out God's word, but now this is the process of taking it all in. Studying and burying ourselves in God's beautiful words. Reveling in the beauty of God's love. 

              3. She perceives - Now after all is sought and considered, she perceives it is attainable. She discerns and recognizes what is right and beautiful in God's sight. It is said that "she perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night." Because she is wise, her goods are taken care of and her light does not die. She replenishes its lamp's oil. She is not lazy, yet understands the potential. We also don't have to worry about keeping our lamps lit during the night, but we learn here that a wise little princess is never lazy. She knows what is right and therefore does it. She loves God so much she discerns and decides to do what He loves.

Me... a princess?

            Now, obviously I'm not the princess of England or France, but I am the daughter of a King higher than those of this world. The Ruler of all. But do I, as a daughter of this King, act like a princess? Am I preparing myself for my future prince? We have all gone through that stage in life where we have longed to be princesses. We dressed up in our bright twirling gowns, put on our plastic jewelry, and hoped that we would be won over by a handsome young knight. We had those fantasies as little girls. But now we've grown older. We still want our hearts to be won over by the knight in shining armor, but we also know that life isn't always fairy-tales and "happily, ever, afters". We have our hearts crushed, our trust broken, and it now never seems as easy as it once did. Yet God redeems. He has given back our wasted years and replaced our brokenness with incomparable beauty. He has written for us a love story that began with His son dying for us and ends with us sharing His love in heaven. He gave us a happily ever after. He won our hearts with his love and saved us from the captivity of our sin. He has called us beautiful. In Psalm 45:11 (Message) it says,

"Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word: forget your country, put your home behind you. Be here—the King is wild for you. Since He's your Lord, adore Him."

        

           God's in love with us, are we in love with Him? Do we want to be the virtuous woman, the pure and dazzling princess, He's created us to be? Yesterday I read through Proverbs 31. Yes, its the chapter that all purity books point you to telling you what to do and how to do it. Unfortunately we are sometimes so caught up in trying to be the perfect woman of God and we spread ourselves way too thin. We become tired. And that's the sad truth. Most Christian women today are... tired. Exhausted from continually trying to be that perfect "Proverbs 31" and "virtuous" woman. We continually feel like we're "too much" or "not enough". What I'm going touch on, in coming posts, are the 3 main qualities I see in this chapter that yes, we should strive for, but also should come naturally when we fear the Lord and fall in love with Him. When we are romanced by Jesus, all the weariness from striving to be perfect (an impossible goal) will disappear, loving Him will become natural.
            Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha? Jesus comes to visit and Martha is so worried and distracted about making sure everything is perfect and that Jesus is comfortable, while Mary plainly sits by Jesus' feet and listen to His stories. She simply basks in His presence and receives His words. Below is the story.

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

         I pray that we women of Christ can learn that Jesus would rather have our hearts and our affection than our struggle for perfection. Join the journey.