Good morning!
I hope that you all had a great weekend.
That you had some great times with friends and family and that you were excited about the chance to go to the house of the Lord.
Our service was really great.
When our pastor said he was going to speak on beauty not being skin deep....and that he was going to use Proverbs 31-----I'll have to admit that I was a little disappointed.
But the Lord showed up big time!
My heart was so touched. He spoke on the idea that our value to those around us has nothing to do with our outside appearance.
And as Mom's we often get stuck on the outside looks and to do lists.
I have had my share of failures as a wife and a Mom. And I have had those times when I felt I was raising my children the way the Lord would want me to and yet the out come was not what I had envisioned.
Those memories can put one in the dumps in the hands of our enemies.
We were reminded yesterday that the greatest thing we can give to our children and those around us is an evidence in our lives of a deep love for our Father.
Have I done that?
I know what I think...and the fruit will tell.
And will I continue if I don't see evidence of that right away?
I think we are all in the process of learning what the Lord requires of us.
Of course the greatest thing I believe I need to continue to learn is how to walk out a relationship with Him. I was just thinking the other day that it would be so cool to just be able to sit with Him knee to knee and just ask Him a few questions. To look in His face and see the change of emotion as we just commune. Goodness...can you even imagine.
On day!
Till then....I just need to walk with Him.
And sometimes yes, I let this world get in the way of my view of His face.
One of the things our pastor said that really got me was a word he spoke to the men about wives. He spoke about what a tough time women who work outside the home have. The balancing act between....husband, children, house and God. And just like that list most times it is the hardest for women who work outside the home to put God at the top of that list.
Yes, God understands......... but, He will not o.k it.
What he did tell the men is that many of the women working outside the home would rather be home as a wife and mother. But because of the greed in the hearts of men....many women were being pushed to be out in the work place. Ouch!
And I will have to agree that that greed can linger in both spouses hearts.
And although I am a SAHM now.....I used to deal with that longing or greed for bigger and better. A better that sometimes gets disguised as wanting more for our children.
There were many good points......and I shed a few tears...... but over all it was a cleansing service.
What is in our heart is between us and God.
But sometimes I think we need to ask our husbands what they see in us.
Do they see a woman who loves the Lord? Do they feel the Love of the Lord coming through us?
What do they think we need to work on?
Sometimes I think we are too hard on ourselves......and yes, maybe at times not hard enough.
Finding that balance......not always an easy thing. :)
Bottom line......
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
or
Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!. Proverbs 31:30
I think God wrapped life up quite neatly in that verse.
There are not many out there in society today that allow us to forget what the outside looks like and just concentrate on what we will take with us into eternity.
I will jump on up on my soap box right quick when I feel and hear societies
"you need to's...and you shoulds...and you have to".
I was so proud of a certain older actress the other day- who you could tell had not had any work done-tell an interviewer that she did not feel the need to cover or change what comes normally with age. And she went on to say that she thought it was sad that as a society we could not just enjoy getting older. \o/!!!!
If I had been in the audience I think I would have given her a standing ovation!
Do we like ourselves.....wrinkles and all?
And if not...why? Could it possibly be because we are not happy with the inside?
My worth to those around me is not that I dress in the latest, or that my hair is cut and dyed by the best professional in the area.....or even that I have all the social graces that this world deems necessary------------my worth is found in the Love of God that flows freely from my heart.
Because if I don't have that....I am nothing more than a loud hard GONG!
Do you love with the love of our Lord?
Then you are beautiful! I am beautiful!
Beautiful to those around us....and beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
Truly beautiful...... really you are.
Look in the mirror today and ask God to show you what is truly important.
Ask Him this week to show you evidence of His love flowing through you.
And like the character from the book that I am giving away...let's ask God each morning before our feet hit the floor
to allow us to be a blessing to someone that day.
Let's touch this world with the Love of the Lord.
And then don't be surprised if you see something in their eyes that makes you want to look over your shoulder to see who they are looking at in that way.
:)
The glory of the Lord is very attractive!
So to end this post I will go ahead and give the book away by Jan Karon.
The winner is......Grey Like Snuffie!
Send me your snail mail girl and I will get it in the mail to you.
That you had some great times with friends and family and that you were excited about the chance to go to the house of the Lord.
Our service was really great.
When our pastor said he was going to speak on beauty not being skin deep....and that he was going to use Proverbs 31-----I'll have to admit that I was a little disappointed.
But the Lord showed up big time!
My heart was so touched. He spoke on the idea that our value to those around us has nothing to do with our outside appearance.
And as Mom's we often get stuck on the outside looks and to do lists.
I have had my share of failures as a wife and a Mom. And I have had those times when I felt I was raising my children the way the Lord would want me to and yet the out come was not what I had envisioned.
Those memories can put one in the dumps in the hands of our enemies.
We were reminded yesterday that the greatest thing we can give to our children and those around us is an evidence in our lives of a deep love for our Father.
Have I done that?
I know what I think...and the fruit will tell.
And will I continue if I don't see evidence of that right away?
I think we are all in the process of learning what the Lord requires of us.
Of course the greatest thing I believe I need to continue to learn is how to walk out a relationship with Him. I was just thinking the other day that it would be so cool to just be able to sit with Him knee to knee and just ask Him a few questions. To look in His face and see the change of emotion as we just commune. Goodness...can you even imagine.
On day!
Till then....I just need to walk with Him.
And sometimes yes, I let this world get in the way of my view of His face.
One of the things our pastor said that really got me was a word he spoke to the men about wives. He spoke about what a tough time women who work outside the home have. The balancing act between....husband, children, house and God. And just like that list most times it is the hardest for women who work outside the home to put God at the top of that list.
Yes, God understands......... but, He will not o.k it.
What he did tell the men is that many of the women working outside the home would rather be home as a wife and mother. But because of the greed in the hearts of men....many women were being pushed to be out in the work place. Ouch!
And I will have to agree that that greed can linger in both spouses hearts.
And although I am a SAHM now.....I used to deal with that longing or greed for bigger and better. A better that sometimes gets disguised as wanting more for our children.
There were many good points......and I shed a few tears...... but over all it was a cleansing service.
What is in our heart is between us and God.
But sometimes I think we need to ask our husbands what they see in us.
Do they see a woman who loves the Lord? Do they feel the Love of the Lord coming through us?
What do they think we need to work on?
Sometimes I think we are too hard on ourselves......and yes, maybe at times not hard enough.
Finding that balance......not always an easy thing. :)
Bottom line......
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
or
Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!. Proverbs 31:30
I think God wrapped life up quite neatly in that verse.
There are not many out there in society today that allow us to forget what the outside looks like and just concentrate on what we will take with us into eternity.
I will jump on up on my soap box right quick when I feel and hear societies
"you need to's...and you shoulds...and you have to".
I was so proud of a certain older actress the other day- who you could tell had not had any work done-tell an interviewer that she did not feel the need to cover or change what comes normally with age. And she went on to say that she thought it was sad that as a society we could not just enjoy getting older. \o/!!!!
If I had been in the audience I think I would have given her a standing ovation!
Do we like ourselves.....wrinkles and all?
And if not...why? Could it possibly be because we are not happy with the inside?
My worth to those around me is not that I dress in the latest, or that my hair is cut and dyed by the best professional in the area.....or even that I have all the social graces that this world deems necessary------------my worth is found in the Love of God that flows freely from my heart.
Because if I don't have that....I am nothing more than a loud hard GONG!
Do you love with the love of our Lord?
Then you are beautiful! I am beautiful!
Beautiful to those around us....and beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
Truly beautiful...... really you are.
Look in the mirror today and ask God to show you what is truly important.
Ask Him this week to show you evidence of His love flowing through you.
And like the character from the book that I am giving away...let's ask God each morning before our feet hit the floor
to allow us to be a blessing to someone that day.
Let's touch this world with the Love of the Lord.
And then don't be surprised if you see something in their eyes that makes you want to look over your shoulder to see who they are looking at in that way.
:)
The glory of the Lord is very attractive!
So to end this post I will go ahead and give the book away by Jan Karon.
The winner is......Grey Like Snuffie!
Send me your snail mail girl and I will get it in the mail to you. 
9 comments:
Yes! Another great post. Now that I am feeling encouraged, I am going to go scrub my toilets and shop for groceries with quiet dignity and strength! :)
What a great service that was!! WOW!! So encouraging, thanks for sharing!!
Some good stuff you heard on Sunday. Got you a thinkin'. Now you got me a thinkin'. I have been hearing too lately from the Lord that it is not so much what I do but how I do it. Do I do it with love? Am I showing forth the love of Christ when I go about my chores. Pot on love...the greatest of these is love. As a SAHM our work is always before us. I get too caught up in what has to be done sometimes that I do not pay close enough attention to whether I do it with love! But I am workin' through as my post today speaks of! Great post. As always got me thinking! That is a good thing---well, usually!(: LOL! Hope you had a great Mother's Day. Love ya girl!
Compared to most people I KNOW I have lived a life FULL of LOTS of stuff...NEVER has anything of the fancy stuff, new cars, trips to Europe, travel all over this country, HUGE home, even that freedom to be a stay at home mom been enough to satisfy the inner hunger that only God can fill. Yes there are indeed great comforts that I would miss...BUT I know they are not "the" answer when my inner being is stirred up and in need. Great post.
And thank you so much for the book...I don't think I've ever won anything.
"My worth to those around me is not..." not the house I live in or who's house I live in... ;)
I hear ya! Great post and sounds like a wonderful sermon.
Wow, that was such a great post sis, thank you. I love you.
True, however...there are women, believe it or not, who want (GASP!) to go to work so they can get away from their responsibilities at home, husband and children included. Well, I've met quite a few women like that who told me so anyhow. :) I've also met women who told me they live with regret that they chose to work outside the home rather than inside. Love your soapbox today!
Sharon,
I glad you enjoyed the service. You always have an awesome post. Enjoyed visiting with you and hope all is well. Praying for you and your family.
Blessings,
Mary
Post a Comment