Fine Clothing

Its been a few days.... It has been a few days and I apologize I have been crazy busy with kids and life. I have been more virtuous the last few days. I have encouraged my husband off and on and prepared the way for my kids. Lets be honest being virtuous its a hard journey to be on, but I am going to be on it as long and as much as I can. I get frustrated over silliness and do and say not the best things, but I am always convicted and ready to move forward and ask for forgiveness.Short post tonight, I am tired.We had birthday parties and sickness going around so I finally have some time to just sit down and share God's wisdom of virtue with you.

She dresses in fine clothing...... I do need to present myself better sometimes. I don't also have on the nicest clothes and lets face it who doesn't love living in hoodies, jeans, and flip flops? I know that is for me, my I'm not working today outfit, and if its hot, its a tee shirt jeans and flip flops and hair pulled into a bun or pony tail. That is my go to but do I always look presentable? I have to remind myself I am representing myself as a Woman of God. Am I displaying it inside and out? Now I am not saying it has to be done fancy and with make up on and hair done everyday. No I am just saying does what I wear demonstrate who I am claiming to be? Am I wearing clothes that are modest? Do they show to much skin? I am teaching my girls to be modest, to the point that even I wear bike shorts under my skirts and dresses, my moto is if they have to then I should model it too. I wear one piece swim suits as do they. We are very modest and want our girls to dress presentably but displaying modesty at the same time. In this day and age it is hard to show a girl what it means to be a Woman of God when all around them, toys, clothes, music, movies, tv, all they see is unmodest people and things. If I dress modestly and do my make up and my hair in a presentable and not over the top fashion then I show my girls that its okay to be modest and its honoring to God to be modest. We have been having some issues with our six year old G and wanting to look in the mirror, and talk to herself in the mirror. She asks us constantly if she looks pretty and my husband and I always tell her she is beautiful inside and out, I want her to not focus on the outer beauty but on the inner beauty, I don't want her to think she can look like someone whom never takes care of themselves either. She needs to look presentable but I am learning as a parent in a Christ Centered home how to parent pretty much as I go and how to display these things too her, sometimes I mess up, but God picks me up and he helps me pick up the pieces and shows me a better way.

Proverbs 31:22 (ESV)

She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Now she dresses in nice fabrics and colors, we don't have to do that all the time but we need to make sure the clothing we wear is not to revealing and that we are being modest and honoring to god in everything we do. I need to explain to my girls that modesty honors God and not just say we have to be modest because Mommy and Daddy said so but because mommy and daddy honor the Lord and the Lord says to treat your body as a temple and thats how mommy treats her body, and that is how daddy sees beauty. Let me show my girls that modesty is what a Godly Man/Boy should see as beautiful not the girl who is showing all their skin. I just pray the world doesn't get to my daughters first. If you haven't heard the song I suggest you listen to and share with any girl in your life this song. "There could never be a more beautiful you" By Johnny Diaz.

PRAYER

Lord, open my eyes to see when I am not honoring you in what I wear or what my kids wear. Let me be aware that the clothing I wear is a representation of who I am in you Lord. Help me to see the Godliness in everything, help me Lord to show my kids why we need to be modest, let me explain it to them in a godly manner why it is important. Help me to prepare them to understand that being modest is honoring you and your word father. Lord help them to realize that they do not need to show skin to be beautiful because they are already beautiful. Help them to realize that a man of God sees them for their inner beauty and their relationship with you and help the men of God they will marry be raised in a family where vanity isn't what matters but love and a relationship with the Lord is. Help my girls not to be of the world but to be Godly woman living in the secular world, and showing the world what a true, virtuous, and righteous woman looks likes. AMEN

She is not afraid of snow,,,

Another Glorious day Today is a beautiful day that the Lord made. I had an amazing day, it started out good and I and my husband were on the same page about a lot of things, no bickering again, and just an overall more peaceful day at home. Praying for my husband and for the journey of becoming virtuous, I am telling you the Lord can do great things.

Crazy winter won't go away.   We all know how crazy this winter/spring has been no matter where you are in the united states, Winter has lasted a lot longer than anyone has wanted it to. Winter is not welcome anymore, hurry spring and summer and get here, my flip flops are calling me and I have been dying to paint my toes and do a pedicure. Are you prepared to speak when asked about the Lord? Are you prepared to defend your relationship when it is challenged? One struggle I have is to be able to talk about the Lord when asked about him as well as defending my relationship with him. We must stay strong and cover our houses and protect our families. We must do this spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Proverbs 31:21

She is not afraid of snow for all her household, are clothed in scarlet.

God used this verse to show me that I cannot be fearful of the things I cannot change, I just need to embrace God through it. No matter what comes my way I need to "clothe" my family in scripture, in prayer, in anything that can help them to be better equipped to face the cold, dying world. I hope God uses you to protect your family in prayer, scripture, and in understanding. The better we understand the better we can witness. Today's is not so profound. I am almost asleep which is why,

PRAYER

Lord help me to be the woman of the bible, a woman who knows more than he knows i make. Help me to prepare the way for my children and hubs, help my children to make the right decisions surrounding my family. Help me to keep my mind focused on you. I ask all these for a special reason so I can become more godly for my kids. AMEN

Compassion, Caring, and Love

Being Virtuous can be difficult. Being a woman of God who displays Godly characteristics, that can some days be a challenge. Today was a challenge to me to be virtuous. Now don't get me wrong I am contentiously trying daily to have a heart of virtue, and to be Godly. I was not displaying Godliness and virtue in dealing with my children. G and H are the best of friends, G wants H to go everywhere with her and lay in her bed with her. H wants to do everything G is doing and just yells when she gets in the car from school everyday. They fight like cats and dogs multiple times per day. See H has had issues with her hearing, and we are not sure they are fixed and wont for another 9 days (This momma is counting). So even though H is almost 2, verbally she is not where she needs to be. I think that has a lot to do with not hearing very well. H tends to yell at G and then G yells back than I yell. I am not displaying a patience when I do this. I am learning everyday how to be patient, and encourage my children to show them what it means to be Godly.
On another note, I intentionally encouraged and enriched the life of my husband today. Hubs is not a big coffee drinker but sometimes he will drink a cup, so this morning I made him a cup and brought it to him packed him a very nutritious Lunch and just tried to encourage him with texts and calls throughout the day. Let me be honest, My marriage has been more pleasant with less arguing, less condescending talking, and less of me jumping to conclusions while doing this study. This study has opened my eyes to how I need to change I used to say "Lord speak to his heart, change him" I have learned Lord speak to my heart and change me so I can approach this marriage and Hubs in a different way. WOW has it helped.

One thing that he loved about me. One thing Hubs said he loved about me when we were dating and even now is my ability to not judge people, my heart to help, and my desire to do good. I have to admit in the last year one thing that drew Hubs to me and one of the big things he always loved about me I noticed was changing, my heart and thoughts were changing, and not for the better. I used to be the person that saw the person on the side of the road and would give them a dollar or spare change, or the person hanging outside of McDonalds that held up a sign about being homeless. I was the one who would find the money in the bottom of my pocketbook or take my money for Lunch and buy that person a meal. Well my heart to help and not judge and my desire to do good was diminishing. I did not like the person I was becoming. I was starting to roll my windows up and pretend like I didn't see the homeless person. I was the kid in elementary school who would give the kid whose family couldn't afford a coat the coat off of my back and I would go cold at recess and waiting for my parents after school so they wouldn't have to go cold. I would give someone else my lunch because I knew I would have food at home and I didn't want them to go hungry. That heart and desire Satan was pulling out of me, I was allowing him to place judgmental thoughts in my head, I was allowing him to harden my heart to the poor and hurting. How on earth could I become this person? How on earth could I demonstrate judging and criticizing of these people to my children and then preach and lecture about how we need to be accepting of all people because Jesus was?  It hit me like a ton of bricks one day and I just stopped dead in my tracks.OK LORD OK! I've said it before. God said to me "Hey Samantha, What are you doing? You are not listening to your heart, what happened to the caring and compassionate heart I gave you? What happened to the person who would do anything for anyone else, What happened to the person I mad? Where did you go?" I was like "Wow, Lord I don't know, I want to be the person you made me to be." So God showed me scripture and every time I started to judge or criticize I would pray for God to make the caring and compassionate person he made me to be. The Lord has been working on me. I don't always have Money to give, but I am going to do these bags I heard about, they have a bottle of water, a few food items, and a bible track. I want to have a heart of compassion like Jesus had. I mean come on people Jesus was friends with Lepers and Prostitutes. He dined with them when no one else would. WOW! Lord make me like them. My heart of caring and compassion that I am working on getting back, and miss greatly is a characteristic of a virtuous woman.
 

Proverbs 31:20

She opens her, hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

The willingness to change is not a desire for me to change for me. It is a desire for me to change so I show God in everything I do. I don't want to change for me, I want to change for Jesus, I want my girls to understand that I don't judge and I Love because not only did he first love us but he ate with the lepers and outcasts of society that no one else would because he loved them and valued all people. All people are a gift from God no matter their struggles or their lifestyle, God loves us all the same, he doesn't love our sin but he Loves each and every one of us whom he created in the wombs of our mothers. I don't want to be in front of my daughters and say look at the things Mom did for these people. I want to sit down and say to G, H, and C look at the way God used me to touch the lives of people and show them the Love of JESUS! Look at how mommy was used as a missionary (even if here in the good ole USA) to let people know that no matter what they have done, God is a God of Love, and forgiveness. My girls should not judge it isn't their right we are all eventually judged in the end.

Prayer

Father, help me to have the heart of Compassion, Love, Caring, and Understanding that you made me to have, help me to be the woman of God you desire for me to be, continue to change my heart and make it the way it used to be. Lord I have allowed my heart to turn hard and cold and I do not like the heart I have now, Lord help me to be a better person and to see all people the way I used to see them as precious and wonderful gifts from you, that I won't judge or criticize that my girls will see me demonstrating love and compassion towards these people in a way that glorifies you and not so I get the credit but so you do. Help me to do it selflessly and wholeheartedly. AMEN.

Praising Always

Again the last 2 days have been crazy and I am sorry I missed a day of my Blog. So back to the Blog, I have not been a virtuous woman today, and well it hurts my heart to not be virtuous and for the way I speak with people on the phone sometimes. I hate knowing I was not virtuous; God showed me I was not displaying virtuous qualities.

The verse today says quite a bit..... A virtuous woman is someone who keeps busy. She is staying busy due to the fact that she must help her husband and her family. In supporting her husband and her family she is enriching and encouraging them. When a woman has done and mastered the previous verses she may be able to work outside of the home. When she works outside the home she can be profitable and spins thread. I am using the NLT version in this one, it makes the most sense to me. Sometimes I love having the Bible App on my phone where I can switch between versions.

Proverbs 31:19

Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.

What are you hands busy doing? Are they busy doing the work of the world and the idle or are the busy doing the work of the Lord? Do you spend your time watching junk on tv, listening to music with curse words, or movies with sexual immorality? The Lord may bless you with the ability to stay home and have your home be your job. What are your hands doing at home are they doing the work of the Lord, are you working and doing it in joy? Are you complaining or doing everything you do for God? Even when folding laundry or changing dirty diapers doing your work at home you need to praise God. Praise him for the blessings in your life. If you work outside of the home, again praise him for the opportunities he gave you, praise him for the ability to help support your family. Praise the Lord for all he has done in your life. It took me a while to Praise God and give him my teaching career. My career wasn't going anywhere and I was having a hard time finding a position. When I FULLY and COMPLETELY gave it over to the LORD I was presented with 2 positions in the same school year. Praise the LORD. Whether you work inside or outside the home. Show Glory to God in all you do.

~Samantha

Prayer

Lord, help me to be virtuous, help me to show what a virtuous woman really is. Help me to be virtuous in every situtation in my life, whether it is frustrating or not, and whether I am at fault or not. Lord please help me to keep my career in your hands, and guide me in the way you want me to go and open and or close doors that you want and let me be aware that this is your will. Help me to praise you daily, even for the smallest things. Thank you Lord for sending your son and showing me in your word what a virtuous woman is. AMEN.

Her Light Does Not go out

The Last 3 days: I am sorry to all my readers that I am slacking. I had a busy and crazy weekend. It was my birthday on Friday, Saturdays was a me day, and today we were visiting with family. I have been working on being a virtuous woman the past 3 days. The truth is I have succeeded and failed. I have encouraged and enriched my husband in his life, and hopefully encouraged his walk. I have done a quiet time and I am ahead of where we are, but I am going to post a day at a time, and not ramble to much. I am a failure in biting my tongue and staying strong in the Lord. I have not been a virtuous woman to others in my life, especially with teasing some of them, and I am sorry. But this journey has helped me thus far in learning what is virtuous and what is not and how to act. I want my light to shine bright like that of a Virtuous Woman.
(If this sounds likes rambling and non-sense I am really tired)

Her Light Shines Bright At Night.
 Does your life show light? I try to show the light of Jesus Christ in everything I do. I try to demonstrate his love, his love and life were the light. So does your life show the light of Jesus shining through it each and every day? Is your life shining in everything you do? In making dinner, getting the kids off to school, driving to work, at work all day, folding laundry, rocking your babies to sleep? Do you show light in all of those things? I know it can be hard to show the light in everything especially when you are tired and just want to go to bed and ignore everything. Sit back and think about the areas your light might need to shine.

Proverbs 31:18

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.

What do you do to benefit your relationship with God and to set the stage for others in your life who are looking at you as a virtuous woman? I stay up some nights very late, ironing cloths, folding laundry, vacuuming the floors, doing dishes all of these things, which makes my lamp stay on, sometimes for many extended hours. I do not do this for me but for my family. I am preparing the way for my girls, I am also setting the stage for my husband, and by being virtuous at home and encouraging him, I am helping him with his walk as well. I don't always want to do this but I do this because everything I do I have little eyes watching me, I want them to see me do these things, not because I feel like I have to but because I am a virtuous woman, and a virtuous woman does this, and does it with a smile on her face, and love in her heart because that's how God would have done it. I might not be selling anything physically but my merchandise is my home. My profit the spiritual and emotional payoff I earn from my kids and husband when I decide to let my light shine not only all night but all day, and in everything I do and everyplace I go. I hope you learn that doing everything you do for the GLORY of the LORD is definitely worth it sometimes we don't want to do things but we need to do them, so we can teach others how to be GODLY.

~Samantha

Prayer

Lord I know sometimes I complain about taking care of my house and doing the things I do not always want to do but have to do. I need to do them without complaining Lord. I do get paid in a way for the things I do. I get paid in the feeling of satisfaction as well as the emotional and spiritual profit of myself and others. Help to know that all the things I don' t want to do but have to do are there for a reason and that doing them is going to make me be more vitruous that not letting my light burn out or be a very dim light, I hope learn that no matter what I have to always have my light shinning through. Help my girls to see me in this virtuous roll doing these things with the light always shinning through me and not because I have to do them but because God wants me to do them.

AMEN.

A Strength Like No Other.

Let's be honest ladies

To be honest, I think the hardest part of this journey so far in heading down the path of being a virtuous woman is the encouraging and enriching my Hubs everyday. Don't get me wrong I Love Him with all my heart. He is the Love of my life, I couldn't do everything I do without him. I have been so critical and getting frustrated and frazzled over the little stuff for so long, that not getting upset, frazzled, frustrated, or being critical is hard for me to do. You would think it was the opposite but lets be honest, the hardest part is doing what is not normal, and being encouraging and enriching to Hubs is not normal, and that is sad to say :(. Other than intentionally being encouraging and enriching I had a pretty good day. I didn't start the day off well, I slept in to start it all off and then rushed all morning. Tomorrow is a new day, and tomorrow I will be an early bird. 

So today I read one verse, since yesterday I felt like all 4 of those went hand in hand. I felt like today's verse had a lot that I could say just about it. I think it could be grouped together with the next several versus but I am definitely enjoying this study and everything the Lord has laid on my heart during this study, as well as having this study hold me accountable to make sure I am being a woman I need to be. Today's verse was 

Proverbs 31:17(ESV)

She dresses her self with strength and makes her arms strong.

I've said it once I'll say it a lot more WOW!!! God surprises me with each and every verse in Proverbs 31. Just think God gives woman a strength like no other. I mean we go through a lot as woman, childbirth, to carry and birth a child is a strength like no other. A virtuous woman dresses herself in strength, I have to be strong. I think the type of strength God is speaking about here is that yes a woman needs to be strong in the literal sense of the word, but there is a lot more to being strong than just having strength. I have been shown the ways in which I need to be strong, and show strength to my girls, and husband. I need to be strong in the walk I have with the Lord. One way that God really showed me I need to be strong in is to bite my tongue, sometimes I don't want to bite my tongue I get frustrated. I want to say things and do things that do not display an ungodly attitude around my girls. I want to be strong and be aware of everything that's going on I want to be sure I am displaying a Godly demeanor and a Godly strength in everything I do. I need to work at my house through the tiredness, through the "I don't really want to's" through all of that I need to be strong and fight through it, again not for myself but for H, G, and C. When I show them that the house is a priority I show them that their well being is a priority. When I keep the house up even though I am exhausted I show Hubs that hey thanks for all you do for your kids and me. I have to show the kids that this stuff is important and it needs to be done because when I take pride in the things I am Blessed with than, I am giving thanks to the Lord. Sometimes working through the tiredness and having strength in that way is what I need. God has given me the strength to work through the tiredness and I have to be able to do this not for me but for my family. Wow having strength that is from him is completely different than trying to do this on my own. This verse speaks to me in so many ways I could write like 10 pages on it, but I'm not going to. I am going to end it right there tonight, before I ramble on. A virtuous woman is a precious jewel, strong, an early riser, she prepares the way for her family, and encourages and enriches the life of her Husband. WOW how amazing is that, when I am on this journey that I hope never ends, even just now, how amazing of a person will I be and not because of me but because I have done this through the Lord. I am looking forward to becoming the wife, mother, and woman of God, he created me to be.

~Samantha

Prayer

Father I come to you today, to ask you to give me the strength I need to be a virtuous woman. Give me the strength to hold my tongue when it needs to be held, to be patient when I am frazzled, to prepare the way for my family, to have the desire and strength to keep my house up to show my children I am thankful for the blessings you have placed in my life. Give me the strength to show Hubs love and encouragement everyday, and to enrich his life by small and grand gestures and to change the way I approach certain situations with him, that I handle them in a way that is glorifying to you, let me be the precious jewel you made me and help me to be the Godly woman of virtue you have designed me to be. Thank you for your word and showing me what a Woman of Virtue looks like and for putting this desire on my heart to be that woman. AMEN.

She is an Early Bird, but I am NOT!

Today I was a precious jewel. I made sure I acting in a way that demonstrated I was a precious jewel of GOD! I still cannot believe that God thinks I am a precious jewel. The way I approached my girls today was much softer and loving, even in discipline I approached them in a way that was demonstrating me as a precious jewel. When my sweet G yelled at H, well I got upset because I know she got the yelling from me, I had to tell her she is a precious jewel and so is her sister and she needs to be soft and kind to her sister and that mommy was trying very hard to be soft and kind to her as well.

I tried really hard to enrich and encourage my husband, I didn't nag at him or get mad at him for silly reasons. I let him know how much I appreciated him taking H to the doctor because I wasn't able to. I let him know he is amazing and a wonderful man and husband. I am going to try to encourage and enrich him everyday the way a Virtuous woman should.

A morning person, not I. One thing I am definitely not is a morning person. I have 3 alarms set on my phone my "It should be time to get up, but you can lie in bed for 30 more minutes" alarm that goes off at 5:30AM, my "OK you seriously need to keep your eyes open now Sam" alarm that goes off at 5:55AM, and finally my "Holy Cow if you press snooze one more time you're going to be super duper late" alarm that goes off at 6:15AM. In all honesty I should get up when the first Alarm goes off at 5:30AM. I am not a morning person, that's just not how God made me, he made me to wake up at 9:00AM and go to bed at 11:00PM. Who agrees with me? Well if we read the scripture today, we will see that's not always the case God wants us to rise early, but there is a good reason and it goes hand in hand with some other verses in Proverbs. Lets look at the verses.

Proverbs 31:13-16(ESV)

(13)She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

(14)She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

(15)She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household, and portions for her maidens.

(16)She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit oh her hands she plants a vineyard.

Verses 13 and 14 are talking about how a virtuous woman needs to be sure that she is always willing to work hard for her family. Some of you may get something other than what I get out of these verses but this is what the Lord laid on my heart of how these verses pertain to me and my life. Some people may say see this is proof a woman needs to work in the home to prepare it for her family. Well I work outside the home, and I enjoy my job as a teacher. I also work inside the home, but first and foremost my work inside the home should be the most important why is that? I am preparing the way for 3 little girls, I am setting the stage for the rest of their lives, I am the woman whom they will look up to more often then not in their lives. They will see how I handle a situation and say "Hey well that's how mom handled it, and she says she is a Christian so I guess that's an alright way to handle this situation." When in reality it might not be the best way to handle it. So preparing my home and working with my hands to keep it up is a way to show the Lord I am thankful for the many blessings in my life but also to demonstrate what a Woman of God does, whether she works out of the house, or stays home all day, a Godly Woman is never done working and neither is a mother. 

Verse 15, Oh verse 15. Verse 15 the verse I did not like when I read it but when I studied it, I understand why it is important and how it pertains to my life. My girls like oatmeal and other cereals for breakfast, or eggs, pancakes, really any breakfast foods. I do too, but on the weekends is usually when get the big fancy breakfasts when I can wake up at 9:30AM and have breakfast at 10:00AM. Ahh the weekends, most school days we eat a bowl of cereal (if we are lucky), toast with peanut butter, but most commonly a granola bar. I know "Breakfast of Champions" right there. After hitting the snooze button 15 times, taking twice as long in the shower as I should, changing my clothes 10 times, because I don't like the way my outfit looks (Like my 5th graders really care about me or my fashion sense), doing my hair, getting G up and dressed, hair done and ready for school I'm lucky if I have enough time to pack lunches and give breakfast to G.I just need to slow down(or get out of bed earlier) and actually slow down and enjoy my mornings. God says in verse 15 that a virtuous woman rises while it is yet night......ugh I don't get up if the sun isn't up. He goes on to say provides food for her household, and portions for her maidens.  Is he telling me I have to wake up early everyday and prepare a 3 course breakfast for my family. Well no but he is saying we should wake up early prepare the way for our family. I should wake at 5:30 feet ready to hit the floor running and prepare the way for my girls. I should have my quiet time done, breakfast made, myself put together, and any other last minute details done all before I wake up G at 6:15ish. Rushing in the morning isn't helping her and rushing gets me frustrated and frazzled, frazzled gets me upset over silly stuff, which makes me yell at my husband, which is not encouraging or enriching him, which isn't helping........AHH the vicious cycle I have created by not being a virtuous woman. WOW Lord, thanks for this eye opener of a verse, one to stop me dead in my tracks. I mean even if we do wake up early before our families everyday and prepare a giant grand breakfast just because we are supposed to doesn't mean its helping, you need to do it with a heart of virtue, an outlook of being a precious jewel, and do it to enrich and encourage not only your spouse but your kids, because in the end you will also be blessed. I know its easier to stay in the bed under the covers and wait for the world to pass you by. Verse 16 says something to me, that many of you might not agree with but this is what I got out of it when studying it earlier today. It says this: She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit oh her hands she plants a vineyard. It says that she buys a field, she plants the vineyard with her own hands. So many meanings to so many people, here is what I got. My family is my field, my house, my job, my life, everything around me is my field. I must plant my seeds all around me and nourish them and water them, I have to do this to keep them healthy and let them grow. I planted the seeds in my girls, I must show my girls how to live for God, how to pray a prayer of praise and thanksgiving not just a "Give me this, and give me that" prayer but an genuine and authentic prayer, I must show them how to truly study the bible, and how demonstrate how to be a Godly wife and mother. I must nurture and feed these seeds or they will shrivel up and die and I will  be asking myself in 20 years why don't my girls know the Lord the way he longs to be known? I can tell you because I planted the seeds but didn't nurture and feed them. My goal is to plant to the seeds and nurture and feed them so they can blossom into beautiful flowers and Women of God. My hand plant the seeds in my life and How I choose to care for these seeds will determine how and if the plants will grow.

~Samantha

                                                                 Prayer

Father God, I come to you today as your precious jewel, you made me wonderful and beautiful and to shine your light and love all around me. Lord as much as I try I know I will not be a perfect mother or wife but the purpose of being virtuous is not about being perfect its about being a Godly woman. Lord help me to prepare the way for my girls, for them to become Godly woman, for me to demonstrate and teach them what that means, and let them see how it looks in my daily life. Let G, H, and C see me encourage Hubs every day and enrich his life in many ways. Let the boys who will one day grow up to be the leaders of their households have the way prepared for them, let them be shown what it means to be a Godly man, and what it means to be a spiritual leader. Let them together plant seeds and let those seeds grow into beautiful vineyards. Lord you are amazing and wonderful and I thank you for the desire to share my journey of virtue with the woman who read this. Help this to plant seeds in the lives of others and get them motivated to become Godly woman of Virtue as well. In your holy name. AMEN.

Enriching his life!

A little about today before the next verses....
Today I was not virtuous. I was not a precious jewel. I will be the first one to admit it. I yelled at someone on the phone today for a local utility company about a dispute and said some not to nice things to them. No cursing, or screaming, a harsh tone was used. I was shown in the minutes after the phone call that I am NOT perfect. What I am not perfect this is news to me me right.....No I knew I was not perfect, but God definitely let me know I was not being virtuous and I was not acting like a precious jewel. Even though my kids did not hear the phone conversation with the local utility company, the tone I used and what I said was definitely wrong. I am a big enough person to admit that, and that's the first step in having God TRANSFORM me into the Virtuous woman he designed me to be.

What I asked myself today..... Today after the not so nice phone call I asked myself a question.
     "Just because my girls aren't around is that a way for me to act, shouldn't I be acting virtuous in everything I do?" Wow, talk about a Conviction alert. Once again Lord I hear you LOUD and CLEAR. I need to be the same person in front of my girls as I am when they or no one else is looking. Am I being that person? Looking back on the way I spoke to the person what I said and how I reacted no I am not the same person. I am one person in front of my girls and another person elsewhere. This needs to change and it needs to change now. I cannot truly be a Godly role model for my girls if I am fake in front of them, of all people to be fake in front of my kids are not who I should choose. I shouldn't be fake at all. I need to be virtuous in everything I say and do, whether or not someone is watching, because God sees how I behave when no one else does, and how would he have liked my behavior? He let me be aware immediately after it happened that I was not being a precious jewel and I was by no means being virtuous, but he knows I am a work in progress and I am trying to become that virtuous woman he intends for me to be.

His heart trusts in me?

According to scripture I have some big shoes to fill in order to be a Proverbs 31 woman and wife. I will greatly enrich his life? I will not harm him? The way God says this next verse made me stop and think. 

Proverbs 31:11-12(ESV)

The heart of her Husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain.

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

The NLT states it as the following:  her husband can trust her and she will greatly enrich his life

God, you have made it so I enrich the life of my husband? Does Hubs truly trust me? Have I given him a reason or doubt to truly trust me? Is there any thing he is holding back because he doesn't want to tell me because I might tell the whole world? What a powerful message. I know that something I am working on is holding my tongue, learning when, what, and where to say things and not to say things, what things need be kept secret between my spouse and me and what things I can share. I should ask permission before sharing certain things with specific people. Ok, now I need to find out what I need to do so that my husband can feel like he can trust me 150%. I trust the Lord and my husband that much, but do I have the same trust from my husband? I know that as a wife I do not always do and say things to enrich the life of  Hubs. I try not to bring him harm purposefully , but thinking about it when I nag him, or get upset with him  for going to play ball with his friends instead of being home with me and the kids am I not being harmful? I may not be harming him physically but am I harming him emotionally, or perhaps spiritually? The last thing I want to do is harm him spiritually. He is the spiritual leader in our house and I want him to be a Man of God. Can he be the Man of God wants him to be if I am not being the Woman of God that I am supposed to be? I need to demonstrate to my girls how be an encouraging wife who enriches the life of her husband by drawing close to the Lord, and by making sure he can truly and fully trust me. How many marriages would be different or saved if husband and wives both learned to Encourage & Enrich the lives of their spouse? How much different will my marriage be and how much will I impact the life of my husband in the long run for the things I am doing short term that will turn into long term? How is the way that I approach my husband with Love, Encouragement, and Enrichment affect the way my girls approach their future spouse? My goal is that I can teach my girls this now, so they aren't married and then figuring this out but that they go into the marriage already being a virtuous woman. Wow all of that from 2 verses in the Old Testament of all places ;) Wow how the Lord will use will me.  I am hoping this journey gets to continue and helps me grow. I am proud to be on this amazing journey to be more virtuous.

~Samantha

Prayer:

Lord, I come to you today as a precious jewel, let my life shine like that of all the jewels. Lord help me to give my husband reason to put all his trust in me and if there is a reason he cannot, let us work through it with you, because only you Lord can change our hearts and minds. Lead me to encourage my Husband Lord, do not let me purposefully or not purposefully drag him down, spiritually, emotionally, or physically but be a source of enrichment and encouragement in his life on a daily basis. Lord I pray for G, H, and C that they will see me trying to become a virtuous woman and they will strive in their lives to be woman of virtue and will understand why it is important to encourage and enrich the lives of their future husbands. I lift of the boys who will someday be the spouses of my girls, that you work in their lives and help them to be the MEN of God that they will need to be. Lord help me to the woman of virtue you have designed me to be. Thank you for showing me what a virtuous woman is and for the desire to study and share what I am learning about being a virtuous woman of God.AMEN.

This is Hubs, with "G" the one standing and "H" This is why I have decided to take this journey. I want to encourage and enrich his life as my Husband daily.

"C" being as adorable as ever

My Journey Begins

I am starting this blog as a way to encourage and journal about my journey into becoming a woman from Proverbs 31. I want to be a woman of virtue. A mother who displays a love, fear, and reverence for God. I have 3 beautiful daughters and I want them to be woman of God. 

What sparked my desire to be a virtuous woman? I chose to do this after one night of being overwhelmed at home. I had come home from work to a couple of sick babies and the day went from wonderful to not so good all by 5:30. I had the 2 older girls, H and G bathed and fed dinner all by 5:30. When C started eating, and that's when it all fell apart. Why does it seem like as soon as a routine is settled in that kids want to disturb it? Why is it when 2 kids are sick and the baby needs fed that they decide to kill each other? Why is it that the night my husband (Hubs) decide to work late the house feels like it's going to fall apart? All questions I asked myself when I was feeling overwhelmed. 

Then came the feeling..... I felt the convictions, the way I was handing the situation. The way I disciplined the girls, the way I was telling my kids one thing, and doing and thinking another thing.How can I raise Virtuous woman if I'm not being a virtuous woman? Ok God I hear you, I cannot hold them to a high standard when I don't hold myself to the same standard. Ok God I hear you I hear you.......

So what am I going to do about it? I decided after Hubs went back to work that I was going to do this. I am going to help other woman besides me become a Virtuous woman and they can follow in my journey with me to become a woman of virtue who would be proud to be called a Woman of God. How can I be a role model to my girls if I don't live it myself.

What is a virtuous woman according to the scripture?
According to the ESV which is the version I read and like the best.(to each his own, read it in your version that speaks to you) I am breaking this down daily into a verse or two here is the first verse of what it means to be a virtuous woman.

Proverbs 31:10

An  Excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

WOW! I am more precious than jewels. Really? Me? Silly old me? God thinks I am more precious than any jewel he created and he created them all. Oh my, that's a lot to say about me. I don't always feel I am that precious. A virtuous woman is precious? Of all things that is not what i would have expected a virtuous woman to be. Most ladies who are married or engaged have at least one precious jewel on their hand. If that jewel is not kept clean what happens to it? It gets dull and dingy and it doesn't shine like it used to when we first got it. That's what can happen to us too.

Remember in order to keep ourselves as that precious jewel we need to stay polished and clean....."how do we do this", you ask? Let me tell you what God showed me. He showed me that the way I can do this is to read his word daily, treat myself the way he would treat me, and to just take care of myself.

God wants me to shine like a precious jewel in everything I do and everyday. I need to remember that I am a precious jewel.

~Samantha

Prayer:

Father, I know sometimes I don't shine the way I should, I let life get in the way, I make myself dull and dingy and my walk gets that way too. Lord please allow me to become that bright shinning jewel that you made me to be and show your love through my life and make me the virtuous woman you intended me to be. AMEN.