lady of virtue

so again i'm going to start this post with how much i love this chapter. chapter 4 (a lady of virtue) focuses a lot on the difference between being a true lady of virtue and being someone who focuses on their outward appearance. there were so many good, short stories about men who noticed a woman because of her godly character. the chapter begins with talk of how a pearl is created through the use of an oyster shell. i think the following excerpt explains quite well how creation a pearl can relate to being single.


"God is using the sands of singleness to make you perfect and complete. He's developing pearls of your character in your life. He knows that whatever you use to "catch" a guy, you must also use to keep him. If you attract a guy with only your looks, then you are headed for trouble, since looks don't last. As time goes on, we all end up looking like oysters. Therefore, what you look like on the inside is far more important than what you look like on the outside." (page 52)


and naturally the Proverbs 31 woman in mentioned. i found this particular piece of information really interesting. there are 20 verses describing God's picture of a beautiful woman in Proverbs 31. However, only one verse mentions her outward appearance. 


another tangent in this chapter was about what you picture when you picture the prefect man for yourself? i think the perfect point is made quite effectively. do we honestly think that the godly kind of man we want to marry is going to be attracted to a shallow woman or someone who dresses only to capture the attention of men? i just love reading those few sentences because obviously i'm not looking to marry someone who is attracted to that kind of a woman. so i really need to keep that in mind with my actions daily. i might have high standards for "the boy" so why shouldn't he expect a lot from me as well? i don't want to settle so i certainly don't want someone who is just settling with me. 


this chapter also had 2 lists, one a lady of virtue and another for body beautiful. these were ways to get a man to notice you and to see if you are developing inner or outer beauty. i'm glad i marked these when i first read this book and its super interesting to me how i have changed (or how i'm still the same) in certain places. 


one of the study questions for the chapter is the following: Read Proverbs 31. In prayer admit, "Father, You don't choose to zap me into completion. So today, I choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as You make me a Lady of Virtue. From my scripture reading, show me one quality from Proverbs 31 that I need to develop." (For example: discipline, thoroughness, graciousness, giving, diligence.) Pray over this quality for a month before moving to something else.
i think this is something i'm going to work on for the next few months. we'll see how it goes...maybe i'll update it here...maybe


[lady in waiting, chapter 4]