by Tiffany S. from Virtuous Daughters, June 2011~Volume 11, Number 3 While I am grateful for this opportunity to praise the Lord for saving me, I am pondering how to fit a collection of thoughts, feelings, and lessons into one tiny article! The more I grow in Him, the more obvious His mercy becomes to me, and I am eternally thankful for His love and mercy. Every day the Lord grows and teaches me. Salvation is only the beginning of our journey with Him!
by Gina L. from Virtuous Daughters, December 2018/January 2019~Volume 18, Number 5 "Panning for Gold" Proverbs 31 Study Series Part 22 ~Proverbs 31:31~ I have never been a great gardener. It is partly because I don't have a natural knack for it and mostly because I rarely take the time to actually plant anything. You don't reap if you don't sow! One year though I read a book on wide raised-bed gardening, and it had great pictures and compelling text and inspired me to try. Could a rookie grow produce like that bountiful harvest pictured in the book? Judging from what that plot of ground in our backyard had previously yielded, one would have had many doubts.
by Gina L. from Virtuous Daughters, October/November 2018~Volume 18, Number 4 "Panning for Gold" Proverbs 31 Study Series Part 21 ~Proverbs 31:30~ My sons have developed the business of buying ATVs and fixing and selling them. It has been an eye-opening endeavor. When purchasing ATVs, my sons have seen every imaginable trick in the book by slick sellers trying to make their 4-wheelers appear something they are not. The deceptions are many. There are the cosmetic tricks, painting over blemishes, pumping up flat tires, and putting stickers or such over broken plastics. There are the motor tricks, hiding a knock with thicker oil, JB welding (gluing) together a broken part, and promising it only needs a small adjustment to run when it is blown up. Then there are the identity tricks, saying it has a title, but never producing it, giving the wrong title intentionally, or worse, having no title at all. Sometimes people are so sincere and genuine-looking that they are easy to believe, but my sons have found that the Bible's words, “all men are liars” are true. In fact, the outer appearance of many of these machines isn't always an accurate reflection of what is “under the hood.” They have become quite adept now at spotting the fakes, the tricks, and the deceptions, but it took many trials and mistakes to get to this point.
Quads are one thing, but later my sons will make a much bigger choice. I often wonder when they go to pick a wife, if this experience will serve them well and give them wisdom to avoid a much greater pitfall. You see, women have their bag of tricks too. There are fake words and feigned smiles that can cover a sour spirit. There are charm and personality that can deceive and hide a selfish, unthankful, lazy, or prideful pattern. And there are beauty and style, all made up into a perfect little package, that can draw attention away from a shallow character or a worldly mind. Even smooth words and flattery fool one who is unsuspecting and willing to ignore wise counsel. by Gina L. from Virtuous Daughters, August/September 2018~Volume 18, Number 3 "Panning for Gold" Proverbs 31 Study Series Part 20 ~Proverbs 31:29~ When we moved into our house in Cottonwood five years ago, I was amazed at the beautiful scenery that lies outside my windows and likewise blessed by the nice craftsmanship within our home. It was all just about perfect, except for a large wall-sized, full-length mirror which hung directly outside of our bedroom closet. Upon first glance in this mirror, I knew there was a problem. It wasn’t exactly like those funny house mirrors you find at a circus, but there was some major distortion going on. In reality, I may not have minded if the distortion made me taller and leaner, but it was a shorter and wider version of myself that looked back at me from that mirror. Remembering the problem with the mirror, I gladly snatched up a framed full-length mirror at a local garage sale for five dollars. This I rested against the untrustworthy mirror and the problem was solved, at least temporarily! I enjoyed the accurate reflection and the confidence based on truth my trusty mirror provided, until a rambunctious child knocked over the mirror and it was taken in pieces to the trash. Life goes on. People get busy. Minds forget things that they once knew. I never took the time to replace the old distorting mirror screwed into my wall. Rather, I got used to looking into that untrustworthy mirror, and in time, I made a huge mistake. I forgot it was untrustworthy. I based my reality on a lie. I believed fully the lie the mirror told me and forgot that the source was unreliable. Over time, I grew frustrated with myself as I embraced as truth the mirror’s widening deceit. Then one day, I was in the restroom at church and turned to gaze into the full-length mirror, and I was shocked. I was not what I thought I was. This mirror revealed a leaner version of myself, and all at once I remembered the problem my mirror at home possessed. I chided myself for forgetting something I should have known and basing my reality upon a lie. For the lie I believed about myself did affect me.
As I stood there realizing the trick of the untrustworthy mirror, I thought of a deeper truth. What mirror am I looking at to size up myself as a person? Do I look at what the world says about me and women in general and size up myself by my accomplishments in that mirror? Do I look inwardly into what I am feeling about myself and trust that mirror’s reflection? Do I look to others’ words around me and allow those to be my mirror of truth? Do I look at the past and believe that old reflection to be my current size and shape and state? Perhaps sometimes I do. Perhaps we all do. But why? by Gina L. from Virtuous Daughters, June/July 2017~Volume 17, Number 2 "Panning for Gold" Proverbs 31 Study Series Part 14 ~Proverbs 31:23~ This week we took a field trip to an aquarium to observe the marvelous fish God created. In a large tank, I oohed and ahhed at many beautifully colored exotic fish and at the sharks, sting rays, and the giant turtle. The expert biologist who was answering questions came around to talk to us. She told us her favorite fish was this tiny little three inch plain looking fish. I was shocked at first. Then she told us why. It turns out that little fish was loved by all in the tank because he would clean all the parasites off of the other fish and groom them. He was such a good little helper that he would even swim in and out of their gills, cleaning and making the fish look good and stay healthy all over. While I can’t even remember the name of the plain little fish, I certainly remember how good he made the others in the tank look. Like the biologist, I decided that I liked that plain little fish too and would like to be like him, helping others and making them better by his presence. That plain little fish reminds me of the Virtuous Woman.
As we have peered into the life of the Virtuous Woman in Proverbs 31, we have observed her many noble character qualities mentioned and have sought to emulate them. Now, however, as we come to verse 23, we find a stark change--the woman’s husband’s position and place are emphasized rather than hers. Proverbs 31:23 says, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.” |
The Article LibraryThis "Library" contains articles that were published in previous issues of Virtuous Daughters. It will keep growing as we continue to upload articles from the 20 years of printing. We pray they are an encouragement to you! Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|