Lady of Virtue

"Ephesians 5:18 says, "...be filled with the Spirit." To be filled something must first be empty. To be filled by the Spirit you must be empty of yourself and full of God. You give the Holy Spirit complete and total control of your life. When you became a Christian you received all of the Holy Spirit. To be a virtuous woman,you must let the Holy Spirit have all of you." -Lady In Waiting: Lady of Virtue

Virtuous womanhood is something that our mother sought to instruct us in from the time we were very little, the Proverb's 31 woman has been our standard and example as long as I can remember. The idea of being focused on our inward character and walk with the Lord rather than being consumed with outward beauty and vanity. It is not something we can ever just arrive at, and then rest with the assurance that we are there, rather it is a daily struggle, and constant growing process. We are formed by the events and circumstances of our day to day lives, whether they be times of joy or sorrow.

I believe that often the sorrow has more to do with the forming than the joy, for how can we experience true without first having had the sorrow. It may have been because of my age and just where I was in the growing process, but I found that the last year and half has made up the most significant growth in my life. Over the past year and a half I went through several different therapy programs because of multiple injuries, was in and out of the doctor's office and emergency room and spent a lot of time off my feet trying to deal with the pain that I was in. I had lot of anger because of what was happening to me, I was angry with myself for not being able to heal and angry with God because I didn't understand why He was having me go through this time. I enjoy having a certain sense of independence and was frustrated because I had to rely on others to help me with things. Even now I struggle with the fact that there are certain things I just cannot physically do. I'm learning to deal with this more each day, and am learning how to do things in a different way so that I don't re-injure something.

The time of being out of it and being in constant pain was a huge blessing to me, I definitely would not have said that while in the midst of it, but it has grown me and given me a new perspective on the idea of wanting to control my own life. I see now that it really is best to not have control, what a mess I would make of things if I did!

"A virtuous woman who can find? For her worth is far above rubys." How apt to compare her to a gem, something that is created by the harsh environment around it, and so made to withstand the elements it is in. Something beautiful and rock hard, that is set in what it is and cannot be moved by any other power than that of it's Creator. O, Lord, may I be such a woman, a woman who fears the Lord.