by Emily from Virtuous Daughters, February 2009~Volume 8, Number 11 Have you ever wondered what true contentment is? According to the dictionary, it means having a mind at peace, being satisfied and undisturbed—quietness. What a wonderful state of mind that sounds like! As born-again Christians, we know that no one can truly be satisfied apart from Jesus Christ! Let us turn to the Bible, and see what that most important Book has to say about our subject. There are four verses, in particular, that stand out to me.
by Kristen from Virtuous Daughters, September 2015~Volume 15, Number 6 “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” ~Psalm 27:14
Singleness can be such a lonely, discontented period for many young women. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! An attitude of discontentment is an inward problem of the heart. Instead of looking outward for things that will change our circumstances, we must look inward and change the condition of our hearts. Our Heavenly Father wants us to rejoice always, in all circumstances, and through all trials that get thrown our way. We don’t have the “right” to pick and choose, we must rejoice in all things in order to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. Joy and contentment are choices, not emotions, which is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” by Brianna from Virtuous Daughters, November 2015~Volume 15, Number 8 When I think back on my single years, I am thankful.
Thankful that God is sovereign. I am amazed at how every detail of my life, family, decisions, was purposefully preparing me for the future. I didn’t know it at the time. I wasn’t always feeling a whole lot of gratitude for my circumstances, but still—despite me—God had a plan. by Tiffany S. from Virtuous Daughters, March 2008~Volume 7, Number 12 As I lean against the kitchen table and gaze out the window, I quietly ask the Lord, What do You want me to do? Where do You want me to go? What should my agenda look like? What’s the next step?
by Cheryl S. from Virtuous Daughters, October 2007~Volume 7, Number 7 Darling Virtuous Daughters,
Today I want to share with you a quick thought that is near and dear to my heart. Recently the Lord has drawn my heart close to Him and has called me to sit at His feet. I sometimes see myself as a princess and my Father is the King. Even though I am the princess of a great and mighty King, many things trouble me. Yet my loving, kind, and gentle Father calls me to His throne to sit at His feet. Sometimes I just talk to Him and tell Him my cares and other times I cry upon His knees. Although my problems are trivial compared to the greater problems in His kingdom, He never forbids me to come to Him. And He lovingly welcomes me with outstretched arms, patiently listening. by Tiffany from Virtuous Daughters, August/September 2020~Volume 20, Number 3 My Dear Sisters,
Earlier this year, I was asked to share at a ladies’ retreat. I felt very honored, but I also felt overwhelmed. Last year was hard, and to be honest, I felt inadequate to talk about having a heart of trust and surrender and contentment…because I knew that these were areas that I needed to grow in. However, as I prayed about this opportunity, the Lord reminded me that we will never “arrive,” and through my own journey, He has graciously given me so much truth and encouragement from His Word to strengthen my heart and renew my focus…why would I not pass along that encouragement to my sisters in Christ?! This article is simply my notes in written form. Truly, it is not about me or anyone else “having it all together,” but about leaning on the Author and Finisher of our faith. You see, Christ wants to live His life through us. Understanding this truth has given me so much peace and victory, because it reminds me to depend on His strength instead of my own. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”—Galatians 2:20 My prayer is that the things God has been teaching me would encourage you and point you to Christ…not because of who I am, but because of Who He is. by Rebekah M. from Virtuous Daughters, June 2015~Volume 15, Number 3 It’s been a rough morning. First, you wake up to the mixed noise of your two-year-old brother throwing a fit and your dog greeting his fellow canines through the fence (in other words, barking as loud as he can), causing you to develop a headache. Next, you walk downstairs to find your dad eating the last of the breakfast muffins you had been craving and your younger sister (who’s the same size as you) wearing your favorite shirt--which is now already a bit stained with orange juice, without asking. Finally, after much chaos, everyone piles into the car to head to church. Unfortunately, most of the ride is ruined by your two older siblings arguing about whose turn it was to change the baby’s diaper this morning. This duty actually never got done, explaining why the car smelled the way it did! Amidst these adverse circumstances, and before you move on with your day, you have one key choice to make. Either, to yell at everyone to be quiet, apologize, and get it together; or, choose the harder, yet life-giving path--to forgive. We find this exhortation in the book of Ephesians.
by Candace M. from Virtuous Daughters, August 2013~Volume 13, Number 5 Recently, our family was reading through Luke 9, and verse 41 was particularly striking: “And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.” In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus had given His disciples power and authority over all devils and power to cure diseases. He then sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Not long after their return (at least 10 days), a man brought his son to Jesus—a son who was possessed by a devil that the disciples were unable to cast out. This father cried to Jesus for help. Jesus’ answer (above) indicates a rebuke for the lack of faith the disciples exhibited. These were His own disciples: they had seen Him perform so many miracles, had been given power, and had healed people on this recent trip. And yet they were termed “faithless” and thus lacked power to do the work of God.
by Rebekah from Virtuous Daughters, April 2015~Volume 15, Number 1 “Tying or binding up—captivating.” This is the meaning of the name, Rebekah, a girl found in the Bible. Rebekah was not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. “...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7b
Right now we are going to take a peek into Rebekah’s heart as a young woman... by Carolina from Virtuous Daughters, June 2016~Volume 16, Number 3 The past two years for my family have stretched us to lengths I didn’t think possible. Or normal. But because of this stretching, I have seen seasons of distant relationships and thick bonding moments. All good things, as I’m always reminded in Romans 8:28, but we are still a remarkably busy family. And our individual selves are even busier.
Well, my sisters are busy; I’m just along for the ride, right? ‘Cause, as usual, I just have school. |
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
|