What do I do with all these?
This was my thought as I looked at my closet and drawers overflowing with clothes I have not worn for an entire year or more. Staying in the confines of our home last year, I did not have a need for all the fancy clothes or shoes I have collected through the years. Clothes I matched with my shoes or the accessories that went with them. All I needed and wore were my simple shorts or leggings and a decent top. And just for the record, I did shower and change daily.
I am not saying it is bad to desire and own these things. They say, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” I think to some of us, clothes and shoes are up there in rank, too. My question did not also mean that I have lost hope in a better tomorrow. However, what I learned from the year Twenty-twenty is that there are way more important things in life than what we wear or have.
The challenges of last year made me see a glimpse of who I really am inside. I think we learn our true selves when we go through the wringer.
Last year made me even more convinced of my deep need for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. It also showed me the importance of being connected with our family and friends. God created us for Him and each other.
Early this morning, as I checked my verse for today, Proverbs 31:10 popped up. The verses following verse 10 describes that kind of wife. However, I think we have to pause and take in verse 30,
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
I have always been a big fan of the woman talked about in Proverbs 31, studied it many times, and desired to be like her. But I learned too that I cannot take all that description as my “to-be” list. Becoming who she is too difficult for me to achieve through my own efforts. I can never live up to that image as hard as I might try. Proverbs 31:30 gives me hope.
When one teacher of the law asked Jesus what was the most important commandment, His answer was two-fold:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
We must first fear and love the Lord. When we do and submit our will to Him, it is His Holy Spirit who empowers us to love others. God is love and the Author of love. Created in His image, He has endowed us with the DNA to love as He loves. This is where the becoming of this Proverbs woman starts, and only through Him will we continue to grow more and more of these qualities. This is the genuine beauty that lasts and God will receive the glory, honor, and praise!
Awesome job, Cecille Valoria! (Author of the book “Slaying Your Fear Giants”). This book
is worth reading! Very inspiring and most of all, it encouraged me to slay my own fear that I’ve had since my childhood years. Having read the book helped me overcome that fear. It is such a blessing. I feel so proud of myself! The book is full of practical ways yo help.