I remember a few years back, I believe it was 2015. I was home that year for yet another seven surgeries, ugh, but God took that test and made it memorable in a way that only He can. I ran across a verse that year and my heart has mediated on it ever since, I wanted to share the verse and what He has done in me with my request for this verse to be rooted deep within my soul so that I might become, so here it is…
“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4 NLT
Ouch, right?!?
Beauty is a very unbalanced word in our world, every woman I meet compares herself to her “used to be before children and stress”, or to the “perfect” woman that is slammed in our faces day in and day out. I catch myself doing that more than I would like. I know that I will never have a perfect body, I messed that up as a teen, and I know I am not the most beautiful woman in the world, that’s a blessing. The beauty I desire is the love that God has placed in me to be all that I can be and that beauty comes from within, He says it’s an unfading beauty. That year, I determined in my heart that the beauty I wanted to offer the world, especially Hubby, was quiet and gentle spirit.
Today started out rough, I woke up a little unsettled and in a lot of pain. I assume that is where the unsettled came from, my neck and shoulder are on fire. How do I offer that to others on the days when I want to lay in bed and numb my life so the pain stops? I am aware that I added to the pain, I decided to paint five rooms in our house. I hired a beautiful lady to help me, she was better than me but I worked alongside and my body is screaming. Also after finishing the tasks on Tuesday, I thought it would be wise to go work out with our trainer who was in a mood to kick butts yesterday. Today I am paying for my choices but I REALLY like the way the house looks and I am growing stronger with each work out so I am paying the price. When I wake up like this, and of course today is a holiday, I just want to not hurt and to be left alone. So, God showed me this verse once again and I stopped to realize that this pain will be temporary and today can be fun. I will silence the voices that tempt me to be ungentle in my responses, and I will stop allowing the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy! I know once I get up and around I will feel better and love life again so, here it goes. I’m headed to do my morning stretches and smiling because it is a beautiful day to share with family and friends. Thank you, God, that you chose for me to do life in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Thank you to our son Connor for his service to keep us safe in this time of chaos in our country. Now, if it’s today you read this, get off of your phone and make memories with your family and friends, God bless!!
As Beauty Unfolds... 