Last week I shared about things that I caught myself craving and one of those things was the concept of being beautiful. I shared Proverbs 31, which is a passage representing the heart of a woman or in my case, the kind of heart im attempting to master. So i figured this week I’d dig alittle deeper and share the impact Proverbs 31 has on my life as well as the struggle I face daily to be the woman of God I want to be.
Hand me a mirror and ask me if I find myself to be pretty, maybe even beautiful, id have to first tell you every flaw I could possibly find and then maybe give a very unsure “kinda”. I can never give you a straight answer because if we were to go strictly with what I thought it would always be a “no” but if we went with what the God of the universe declares Id have to humbly tell you “yes”. So, hand me a bible instead and ask me if Christ is glorified in my actions. If my heart yearns for Him? If I am kind, loving, selfless, obedient and patient, because at the end of the day I will never be satisfied with what the image in the mirror looks like, but I can always find my satisfaction in the Word and in Christs’ truths.
That isn’t always easy… in fact the beginning of this year began a very rough and intimate struggle emotionally. I had never faced such heartache with the way I looked. I began comparing myself to random strangers, dreading the day because I knew someone else would be prettier than me, hating any type of compliment, and going so far as to cut my hair off to match the way I felt I looked. When it came to self-image, i had one word to describe the feeling I had towards the way I looked, ashamed.
Although I still struggle with this hurtful idolization, I have began to find hope and joy in the the Lords Word. I’ve begun to accept compliments without any side comments, ive stopped comparing myself to other girls, and ive stopped allowing my every thought to be about my looks.
I want to study Proverbs 31 and take a deeper a look at the heart of a REAL WOMAN. We’ll see that not once is her outer image (ie. her size, her hair, her eyes, her nose, etc.) ever mentioned. Why? Because being a woman of God is the only kind of woman worth being, because it has nothing to do with the always changing outer self its all about the inner self. And trust me ladies, God makes no mistakes in molding His princesses, in that you can be sure.
31:10- 12: A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
31:13-15: She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
31:16-19 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
31: 20-25 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land She makes linen garments and sells them and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.
31:26- 29 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
31: 30: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
No matter what facade we put on, no matter how many times we do our hair or put on our makeup. We will always be the woman we are in our hearts. I look at this passage as check list, going down the list checking what I am and beating myself up for things I am not. But this was not the design, I believe this passage was put in place to encourage us, be glad in the things that we have achieved by maturity and age! This woman was NOT born this way! She has circumstance, trial and error; LIFE. All these have helped her to become this woman. I’ll guarantee you that she never once thought she was any of these things, because we never do..we will always be working on and struggling with one of these things. But that’s just one thing we can daily lay at the feet of our Heavenly Father.
I’m encouraged because this heart is not unattainable, I CAN be her, and it doesn’t take looking in a mirror to reach it! In fact, it encourages the exact opposite! A woman with a heart for the Lord will be praised at the gates. Christ never says getting there will be fun, lots of hard work goes into the maturing process, but God does guarantee His sovereign hand, kindly guiding me towards my hearts’ desire to be a Christ adoring woman. My prayer Is that I will never look at the mirror to find my identity and self-image, but rather search my heart and find truth in the Lords description.
Hand me a mirror and I will tell you “yes I am beautiful. Not because of what I see, but because of what I am.”
Hand me a mirror and ask me if I find myself to be pretty, maybe even beautiful, id have to first tell you every flaw I could possibly find and then maybe give a very unsure “kinda”. I can never give you a straight answer because if we were to go strictly with what I thought it would always be a “no” but if we went with what the God of the universe declares Id have to humbly tell you “yes”. So, hand me a bible instead and ask me if Christ is glorified in my actions. If my heart yearns for Him? If I am kind, loving, selfless, obedient and patient, because at the end of the day I will never be satisfied with what the image in the mirror looks like, but I can always find my satisfaction in the Word and in Christs’ truths.
That isn’t always easy… in fact the beginning of this year began a very rough and intimate struggle emotionally. I had never faced such heartache with the way I looked. I began comparing myself to random strangers, dreading the day because I knew someone else would be prettier than me, hating any type of compliment, and going so far as to cut my hair off to match the way I felt I looked. When it came to self-image, i had one word to describe the feeling I had towards the way I looked, ashamed.
Although I still struggle with this hurtful idolization, I have began to find hope and joy in the the Lords Word. I’ve begun to accept compliments without any side comments, ive stopped comparing myself to other girls, and ive stopped allowing my every thought to be about my looks.
I want to study Proverbs 31 and take a deeper a look at the heart of a REAL WOMAN. We’ll see that not once is her outer image (ie. her size, her hair, her eyes, her nose, etc.) ever mentioned. Why? Because being a woman of God is the only kind of woman worth being, because it has nothing to do with the always changing outer self its all about the inner self. And trust me ladies, God makes no mistakes in molding His princesses, in that you can be sure.
31:10- 12: A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
- · Rubies?! You mean that precious gem that is worth lots and lots of money? Oh yes. Ladies! The very first thing Solomon the king of Israel says about a woman of God Is that she is a precious and rare gem! Solomon wrote this in his older more mature years as opposed to Song of Solomon where he was much younger. This matters because we see that a man, mature in his walk, will see a woman who is also mature spiritually, as beautiful and precious. (no wonder some girls claim they cant find “true love” nor that “no one will ever love them” she’s not met a man with his eyes opened by maturity yet!)
- · “she bring him GOOD, not harm” She’s trustworthy, not bringing him dishonor.
- · “all the days of her life" indicates the commitment made to her husband. In other words, her character isn’t going anywhere. No matter the circumstance.
31:13-15: She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
- “works with eager hands” She works hard. Not complaining or being lazy.
- “ portions for her female servants” she is selfless to the ones she has no obligation being selfless too. She is humble. Not counting herself as any higher even if she may be.
31:16-19 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
- · “out of her earnings she plants a vineyard” She spends wisely; her money never goes to things that will not multiply.
- · “ Her arms are strong for her task” The only time it is ever hinted to the way she may look! She shows signs of her hard work! No matter if it’s the latest style or not; it isn’t bad to be fashionable but the idolization of image, according to what’s “in” has to be examined. If it’s on a pedestal higher then bringing Christ glory, is that really okay? According to her heart, is isn’t.
31: 20-25 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land She makes linen garments and sells them and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.
- She’s humble, kind, and giving. She is never fearful of the future no matter what may come. She is strong but she still have a feminine dignity to uphold. She is joyful, knowing her God will never forsake her.
31:26- 29 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
- · She is wise, never speaking unless she knows what she wants to say. she will never lead others astray because she is correct in what she is saying.
- · The way her children and husband speak of her leads me to believe that she had an attitude and joyfulness even in the comfort of her own home! This showed her family that no matter the hardships she still felt blessed! She still saw light in the dark. How cool is that..? even the ones who see you most vulnerable know that you see yourself as blessed because of the way you act. WOW.
31: 30: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
No matter what facade we put on, no matter how many times we do our hair or put on our makeup. We will always be the woman we are in our hearts. I look at this passage as check list, going down the list checking what I am and beating myself up for things I am not. But this was not the design, I believe this passage was put in place to encourage us, be glad in the things that we have achieved by maturity and age! This woman was NOT born this way! She has circumstance, trial and error; LIFE. All these have helped her to become this woman. I’ll guarantee you that she never once thought she was any of these things, because we never do..we will always be working on and struggling with one of these things. But that’s just one thing we can daily lay at the feet of our Heavenly Father.
I’m encouraged because this heart is not unattainable, I CAN be her, and it doesn’t take looking in a mirror to reach it! In fact, it encourages the exact opposite! A woman with a heart for the Lord will be praised at the gates. Christ never says getting there will be fun, lots of hard work goes into the maturing process, but God does guarantee His sovereign hand, kindly guiding me towards my hearts’ desire to be a Christ adoring woman. My prayer Is that I will never look at the mirror to find my identity and self-image, but rather search my heart and find truth in the Lords description.
Hand me a mirror and I will tell you “yes I am beautiful. Not because of what I see, but because of what I am.”