My mind has gone back to some impactful lessons and messages I heard growing up such as: The ball is in your court. Don’t trade it for a can of beans. Follow me as I follow Christ. Genuine, personal faith. Ponder the path of your feet. Considering those, what made them so impactful to me? What caused me to hold on to its truth all these years? What was it that allowed me to grasp those concepts so clearly at that time and not previously? Some of the speakers were dynamic, and called for attention, others not as much. A few had strong, visual illustrations that stuck with me, other messages did not have any. It was never the one who brought the message, but the One who sent the message. It is always incredible to see the Holy Spirit at work in hearts today; to be reminded of just how personal our God truly is to take the time to speak to us. Just as incredible is the fact that He allows ordinary people to help carry out His work. Often even more impactful than messages that I sat through, were simply the lives of those “ordinary people” around me, and the investment they made. The two go hand in hand as I could see the truth they were speaking of being lived out in their life on a daily basis. Through it, I grew up… somewhat. I think we all still have our moments where we feel small. Small in ability and skill. Inferior and fearful. Someone calls us out on our inability to boost themselves and we become defensive because we ourselves our self-conscious. We may be in our teens, twenties, or perpetual twenties, yet still get taken back to when we were twelve quite often. Maybe there will always be moments where we feel like a little girl expected to be an adult. We, of course, find true strength and confidence through Christ, but that does exempt us from the responsibility to continually strive to become more like Him. If we ever do “arrive”, there is something wrong, and we are fooling ourselves. We should always be growing and learning. When we cease to grow, we open the door for complacency, apathy, and pride to take residence within our heart. The song “He’s still working on me” comes to mind.
“He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and mars. How loving and patient He must be. He’s still working on me. There really ought to be a sign upon my heart: “Don’t judge me yet there’s an unfinished part.” But I’ll be perfect just according to His plan, fashioned by the Master’s loving hand.” Philippians 1.6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” In every sense, He is still working on me. He is still changing me and growing me to be more like Him, to be a better, more effective witness… a better, more godly, loving wife…. Every aspect of my life. What does that look like in a biblical, and practical sense? The all familiar Proverbs 31 woman seems a bit out of reach in most moments, but is really a goal for all of us. Unachievable within our own means, but through God's grace, we can become more like Him. I am grateful for some awesome examples of godly women in my life. Women full of love, godliness, and character. I would desire nothing more than for someday when I grow up – to be like them. To have an extra dose of their wisdom. To have the heart for the Lord they have. To have the strength of one, the heart for people of another, the friendliness, humility, hospitality, and selflessness of others. These women that the Lord has placed in my life have given me a real-life demonstration of the virtuous woman. They each display characteristics of the woman in Proverbs 31. In all actuality, she is what a godly woman should look like... to boldly, biblically, and gracefully accept God's version of femininity. She is what I want to be when I grow up.
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Lizzy parkerMarriage.
Motherhood. Ministry. Missions. Archives
January 2023
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