31 Days of Virtue: Day 28

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 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 3:3-4

Beauty. It's something we all want. To be called beautiful by that special someone is like nothing else. But we don't need to be concerned with out outward beauty; it's our inward beauty that matters. We need to adorn our inner self - our heart, our character, our values - with things that God views as beautiful. Things like the fruit of the Spirit:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Gentleness
Faithfulness
Goodness
Self-Control

Other things could be reverence, respectfulness, compassion, and helpfulness. Think of Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." If we think about these things and practice these things, then we will learn these things; and they will be in our minds and hearts. And if these are the things that are in our minds and hearts, then they will shine through us as beauty.

Think on these things...

Archive of 31 Days of Virtue:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

31 Days of Virtue: Day 3

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4


In the Bible 'virtuous' is often translated as 'noble'. Therefore, this verse could also be read as,
   "A wife of virtue is her husband's crown..."
To be a virtuous woman, we must be the crown of our husbands. A crown. Have you ever compared yourself to a crown? A crown is beautiful, radiant, giving whomever wearing it honor and glory. As a crown to our husbands, we must do the same thing. We praise our husbands. We bring pleasure to our husbands. We make his life as beautiful as we can.


We certainly do not want to be on the other end of the spectrum and be the "decay of his bones." We want to build up our husbands, not tear them down. We want our attitudes and actions to reflect on him in such a way that the community respect and honor him.


The how. How do we be our husband's crown? First and foremost, we pray. It can definitely be hard after a day of crying babies or if you've had a harder day at the office than usual. But we take it one day at a time, and we ask God for help. To be our husband's crown, I think the fruit of the Spirit must come into play here. We need to exude these characteristics. We need to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, faithful, good, and self-controlled. And the only way to have these fruits and have them show through us, is to have Jesus Christ at the center of our life. 


What it comes down to is this: being completely surrendered to Christ. Because when you are completely surrendered to Christ, you can't be anything other than a crown to your husband. And your worth will be 'far above rubies'. 

Project 31: Beauty is Fleeting

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

This is a verse worth memorizing. Charm is deceptive. Beauty is fleeting. We shouldn't focus our attention on outward beauty. It's the inside that counts. Look inside yourself. Do you like what you see? If not, work on that first. Because that which is inside will always find a way to show itself on the outside.

We need to teach our daughters and teach our granddaughters. Outward beauty will not last. You know the saying 'Can't take it with you when you go'? I think the same can apply to beauty. You cannot take your outward beauty with you to heaven. You can't take your spray-on tan. You can't take your blonde highlights or your manicured nails. God isn't looking for that. He's looking for your inward beauty. He's looking for your fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Do you see that in yourself? If we don't see these things in ourselves, we should definitely start working on getting those things in us. Because once we have those in us, they will radiate through us. They will radiate Jesus Christ through us, and that's the most beautiful thing of all.

Project 31: Faithful Instruction

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26

She is wise.
She is faithful.
She is a teacher.
She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt.
She is fun.
She is creative.
She is strong.

She listens.
She loves.
She hugs.
She laughs.
She smiles.
She encourages.

She is my mother.

My mother is like no other I know. I remember growing up that our house was the place to be. My two sisters and I rarely went to a friend's house; they always came over to ours. Our house was fun. Our house was full of love.

As far back as I can remember, she was always the first to rise {unless Daddy was going hunting : ) } and the last to lay down. She cooked, she cleaned, she washed, she picked up, and she still had time to play with us three girls. Even now that all of us are out of the house, she hasn't changed. When we are all able to go home, she cooks, she cleans, she picks up, and she still has time to spend with us.

Her actions are the fruit of the Spirit. She is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. If I can be half the woman she is, my husband will be a lucky man.

I love you, Mom!