One of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers wrote, “True beauty is rare, and seldom recognized by the one who possesses it” (A Voice in the Wind). In this world, in this day, we are thrown a million different ideas of what beauty should be. Our society and media manipulate women to believe they are dispensable objects, so we waste away in an attempt to be “beautiful” by the standards of this world.
In Proverbs it says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (31:30). Our heavenly Father has hidden a treasure inside of each one of us. The treasure is our heart. It should not be plundered, or given away; it should be invested and insured in hopes of one day being won. I think the feminist movement of the preceding generation has robbed us of our honest heart’s desire as a woman: to be cherished and won over. This mindset that we are complete on our own is entirely false. If we were honest with ourselves, we would know how we long to be loved and treasured, as we should be; our heart is something valuable.
The summer I read all those books on relationships, I made a list of standards or attributes that I desired for my future husband. One of the books charged readers to really search your heart for what you longed to see in the man you would spend the rest of your life with. Once you had come up with a list, you should measure every guy by it before you begin dating him. Well, this was a fine challenge, and I’m sure one made with good intentions, however, it focused completely on the heart of my future significant other. Something about this bothered me. I have no control over this person; I cannot decide who they are, where they come from, or who they will be in twenty years. I began to wonder if perhaps I was making the list about the wrong person. If I spend all my time measuring the men in my life to a list I’ve created, but never take the time to measure my own attributes or heart, how will I match my knight in shining armor when he finally comes along?
It was not until very recently I had the revelation that the only person I have the ability to change is myself. I know who I am, I know where I come from, and hold in my spirit the ability to define who I will be in twenty-plus years. So with this thought in mind, I sat down and prayed for God to show me the standards I should make for myself. I read Proverbs 31, the classic “Woman who fears the Lord,” and wrote down character attributes that I desire of myself from the example given in the Bible. My hope is the next few posts will be my journey through those traits.
The first is Becoming A Treasure, Proverbs 31:10 “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” For this I wrote that I desired to be a treasure, I whole-heartedly believe God desires that for you as well. God has not given us a time of single-hood (and by single-hood, I mean those of you who are not married) to waste on wishing or daydreaming for prince charming to come along. If that is how you spend your time, what will you have to offer when he does arrive?
I had to take a moment and imagine… fast forward approximately two years: “Well, I don’t really know if he’s ‘the one’ because I’ve spent so much time searching for Mr. Right, and I kind of forgot to let God be in control of my life. So now I’m asking God to shine a light on the situation, but He’s standing here saying, ‘Beloved, I’ve got a lot of work to do in you before we talk about marriage.’” And there I stand, on a precipice deciding whether: A) I let God start His work in me now and wait that much longer, or B) Make the choice on my own, and risk it being the wrong decision.
PHEW! When I thought about that scenario, I came to the conclusion, NOW is the time I let God create a precious treasure in my heart. We have been given this time for a reason. All of the other character traits are simply part of the decision to let God refine your heart into the jewel you are meant to be. NOW is the time to let the steadfast love of God overtake you and mold you. That desire in us to be treasured can only be fulfilled by God. When we possess the valuable characteristics of a Godly woman, there our true beauty lies, and heart that is worthy of being won over. Don’t you desire a heart that is worth winning? I do. Solomon writes, “You have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace” (Song 4:9) The bride of Solomon was so enveloped with the beauty of God that it only took one look for him to know her heart was something to be treasured.
And that is where I will end it, today. More to come! =]
In Christ,
Katherine
