The Single Gift
How blessed you are, you single one,
Don’t talk of care and woes.
You’ve got too much to be thankful for.
Oh what, you’d like to know.
It’s no mistake, no misdirection
Of God’s perfect plan
That you’ve not found your special lady
Or you, that certain man.
God loves you so and has much more
To give than you’ve ever received.
That He’s giving His best to you right now,
You really must believe.
His best is Himself, do you have it in full
Or only a bit on the side.
No man can meet your needs like God,
Nor can a lovely bride.
If your life’s not complete, you know that Jesus is
And your life He will fill
If you’ll only put Him first each day
And live to do His will.
He’s gifted you for undistracted
Devotion to the Lord.
There should be nothing that can interfere
With Him and prayer and the World.
Unless you let down the guard of your heart
And let others take His place,
Then you’ll lack joy and peace and hope
And not experience his grace.
So give your heart right back to God,
Let Him keep it safe for you.
And when it’s better than His best,
He’ll make your one into two.
Donna L. Mihura
Many seek God, but only for His hand. They don’t want God as much as they want something from God, such as a man, happiness, or a family. This impure search for God is limited to what you can get. It is more of a self-love than a God-love. This seeking will end is misery, not in the union of love you desire. God cannot be used like your credit card. He knows your motives. To grow in your knowledge of God, you must seek God correctly, which means you must also seek God with a pure heart.
God has given you a precious privileged time. Don’t waste a day of it! You will never have it again. These days can be treasure-finding days in your Kingly Father’s chambers. As you linger at the window ledge searching for a glimmer of your knight’s shining armor, don’t miss the jewels your Father has for you to adorn yourself. Will you grow cold and bitter at the window still, or will you hold your royal head high, glowing in your Father’s love and attention. The choice remains with you, dear princess. Your Father will not force you to turn from the window, but He longs to fellowship with you. Come into His chambers, delight in His Presence. May you be found in Him—a Lady of Devotion.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Lady of Virtue
How in the world can I try to write a blog after the season finale of The Bachelor a.k.a The Jerk. I haven’t even kept up the entire season I’ve just watched an episode here and there and the Finale of course but…seriously? Did he just do that on after the final rose? Wow. Sometimes I guess you just never know which way things are going to go and no sure thing is ever a sure thing! (But really, do those relationships ever work out, we’re on season 13 and one out of 13 have worked out so not good odds)
Let’s talk about being a Lady of Virtue, which I believe Melissa was by the way. He he. Ok I’ll drop the bachelor references at least to make it through being a Lady of Virtue.
As the weekend was coming to a close and I spent some GREAT time with a great friend having great conversation, I decided to read the next chapter of my book. I wasn’t surprised at all that it was exactly the same thing me and my friend had been talking about just minutes before! My very dear friend and I have been going through an almost identical situation and luckily we have each other to go through it with. We talked about the fact that sometimes we can get caught up in our situations that swirl around us in life that sometimes we lose sight of who we are and who we pride ourselves on being; a lady of virtue.
The chapter beings by describing the journey of a pearl. We all know that pearls are made from a grain of sand trapped in an oyster shell so I’m not going to go into the detail about it other than the grain of sand is irritated by the rubbing of the tissue and so on. The author continues to show that many single women view themselves as the ugly oyster shell as opposed to the piece inside of us, our heart, which creates who we really are through the trials and tribulations of singleness (our piece of sand that is being made into a perfect pearl). There are many examples through the bible that can show us that it’s the inner character that matters most, and we’ve all heard our parents and advisors say the same thing too, so this is not news!
Something to keep in mind, the way that we view a situation and ourselves differ from the way God views it. “An ugly oyster shell is an unlikely place to find a lovely gem, but Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways…” You may see an ugly shell, but God sees the beauty He is creating in you. Are the sands of singleness causing you bitterness right now, or are you allowing these trials to change you into a pearl? The Lord wants you to be a Lady of Virtue-a costly, beautiful pearl for all to admire.”
Today’s society teaches us that it is looks that get the guy but God shows us that true beauty is wisdom, kindness, and godliness. “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:4 The author poses the question of what characteristics a true godly man is looking for-think about if he should be after your looks which fade or your heart which continues to grow and be made into a pearl with virtuous qualities. What kind of guy do you want and what do you want him to be after? We all want our prince, right?
I can’t help but think about the classic prince and princess stories that are read to us as children and still pressed into our minds as adults. How do you become a princess? What makes a princess a true princess?
“To marry a prince, you must first become a princess. To marry into royalty, you must be appropriately prepared. A princess has to learn how to properly act, dress, and speak so she would honor the royal family. Is it any wonder that a heavenly princess must prepare inwardly for the calling to which she will give her life? As you set your attention on developing godly character, Christ will change you into the beautiful princess He created you to be.”
Ok so how to prepare, what to strive for? The author provides a list of qualities that a Lady of Virtue would encompass or strive for: A person to whom all people are attracted (friendly), seeking God first, Interesting-with goals for yourself personally, becoming the lady God wants you to be, realistic, truly interested in the person you date and his best interests, one who is spiritually challenging, one who gives friendship, communicates verbally, committed to trusting God, prepared for lasting friendships, open to other friendships, secure in the Lord, building positive qualities in yourself, trusting God, and patiently waiting. These qualities would truly make for a princess. I truly believe that these are not hard qualities to possess, AS LONG as the Lord is in your heart and mind in what you think and do. I can’t help but think back to my conversation with my friend and we talked about these qualities and how sometimes we drop one or two or more of them because we get so wrapped up in…junk! As long as we remember who is at the top of our list of priorities (God) and we strive to grow in him and keep him on top, we can all be princesses! Isn’t that what everyone told us in the first place when we were little girls? Well good news is its true!
I’m not going to go into much of my personal life with this one but I will admit that due to recent stressful situations I have slacked off on becoming the princess I want to be. The thing about dropping a quality or two (i.e. being friendly etc.) of becoming a princess is quite dramatic actually and can have further effects you may not have considered. It’s noticed by many people who expect all these qualities of you, it’s what attracted them to you in the first place, and when you drop them, it makes you less attractive to them; this could turn into a vicious cycle if you think about it! A situation causing you to drop a quality hence losing “support” hence being discouraged and dropping another quality and so on! I want to encourage whoever needs some encouragement (as I think we all could use it) to not lose sight of becoming a princess and becoming who God intends for us to be; a pearl. Remember your value to the Lord and to those around you.
I am so grateful for my wonderful friend and her insight and friendship! But she brought this (paragraph above) to my attention and gave me insight and advice to become that person again who people were attracted to and fell in love with and not to let the situations I face change who I am, because that will only make the situation worse. I shall continue and strive to be a lady of Virtue! Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone be happy all the time and never have a negative thought or feeling EVER! Emotions are real and there are bad ones too and they are meant to be felt! They are not meant to run our lives and dictate who we are though. Trust me there are bad emotions, such as the emotions I share with Melissa on Jason’s actions tonight on The Bachelor! Still shocked. But if you’re reading this remember that no matter how rough you get rubbed, you’re the pearl in the making.
I feel like this blog was somewhat jumpy and not as well put together as others but, It’s getting late! Goodnight!
Let’s talk about being a Lady of Virtue, which I believe Melissa was by the way. He he. Ok I’ll drop the bachelor references at least to make it through being a Lady of Virtue.
As the weekend was coming to a close and I spent some GREAT time with a great friend having great conversation, I decided to read the next chapter of my book. I wasn’t surprised at all that it was exactly the same thing me and my friend had been talking about just minutes before! My very dear friend and I have been going through an almost identical situation and luckily we have each other to go through it with. We talked about the fact that sometimes we can get caught up in our situations that swirl around us in life that sometimes we lose sight of who we are and who we pride ourselves on being; a lady of virtue.
The chapter beings by describing the journey of a pearl. We all know that pearls are made from a grain of sand trapped in an oyster shell so I’m not going to go into the detail about it other than the grain of sand is irritated by the rubbing of the tissue and so on. The author continues to show that many single women view themselves as the ugly oyster shell as opposed to the piece inside of us, our heart, which creates who we really are through the trials and tribulations of singleness (our piece of sand that is being made into a perfect pearl). There are many examples through the bible that can show us that it’s the inner character that matters most, and we’ve all heard our parents and advisors say the same thing too, so this is not news!
Something to keep in mind, the way that we view a situation and ourselves differ from the way God views it. “An ugly oyster shell is an unlikely place to find a lovely gem, but Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways…” You may see an ugly shell, but God sees the beauty He is creating in you. Are the sands of singleness causing you bitterness right now, or are you allowing these trials to change you into a pearl? The Lord wants you to be a Lady of Virtue-a costly, beautiful pearl for all to admire.”
Today’s society teaches us that it is looks that get the guy but God shows us that true beauty is wisdom, kindness, and godliness. “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:4 The author poses the question of what characteristics a true godly man is looking for-think about if he should be after your looks which fade or your heart which continues to grow and be made into a pearl with virtuous qualities. What kind of guy do you want and what do you want him to be after? We all want our prince, right?
I can’t help but think about the classic prince and princess stories that are read to us as children and still pressed into our minds as adults. How do you become a princess? What makes a princess a true princess?
“To marry a prince, you must first become a princess. To marry into royalty, you must be appropriately prepared. A princess has to learn how to properly act, dress, and speak so she would honor the royal family. Is it any wonder that a heavenly princess must prepare inwardly for the calling to which she will give her life? As you set your attention on developing godly character, Christ will change you into the beautiful princess He created you to be.”
Ok so how to prepare, what to strive for? The author provides a list of qualities that a Lady of Virtue would encompass or strive for: A person to whom all people are attracted (friendly), seeking God first, Interesting-with goals for yourself personally, becoming the lady God wants you to be, realistic, truly interested in the person you date and his best interests, one who is spiritually challenging, one who gives friendship, communicates verbally, committed to trusting God, prepared for lasting friendships, open to other friendships, secure in the Lord, building positive qualities in yourself, trusting God, and patiently waiting. These qualities would truly make for a princess. I truly believe that these are not hard qualities to possess, AS LONG as the Lord is in your heart and mind in what you think and do. I can’t help but think back to my conversation with my friend and we talked about these qualities and how sometimes we drop one or two or more of them because we get so wrapped up in…junk! As long as we remember who is at the top of our list of priorities (God) and we strive to grow in him and keep him on top, we can all be princesses! Isn’t that what everyone told us in the first place when we were little girls? Well good news is its true!
I’m not going to go into much of my personal life with this one but I will admit that due to recent stressful situations I have slacked off on becoming the princess I want to be. The thing about dropping a quality or two (i.e. being friendly etc.) of becoming a princess is quite dramatic actually and can have further effects you may not have considered. It’s noticed by many people who expect all these qualities of you, it’s what attracted them to you in the first place, and when you drop them, it makes you less attractive to them; this could turn into a vicious cycle if you think about it! A situation causing you to drop a quality hence losing “support” hence being discouraged and dropping another quality and so on! I want to encourage whoever needs some encouragement (as I think we all could use it) to not lose sight of becoming a princess and becoming who God intends for us to be; a pearl. Remember your value to the Lord and to those around you.
I am so grateful for my wonderful friend and her insight and friendship! But she brought this (paragraph above) to my attention and gave me insight and advice to become that person again who people were attracted to and fell in love with and not to let the situations I face change who I am, because that will only make the situation worse. I shall continue and strive to be a lady of Virtue! Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone be happy all the time and never have a negative thought or feeling EVER! Emotions are real and there are bad ones too and they are meant to be felt! They are not meant to run our lives and dictate who we are though. Trust me there are bad emotions, such as the emotions I share with Melissa on Jason’s actions tonight on The Bachelor! Still shocked. But if you’re reading this remember that no matter how rough you get rubbed, you’re the pearl in the making.
I feel like this blog was somewhat jumpy and not as well put together as others but, It’s getting late! Goodnight!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
