My Journey...Part 9

Last week our dogs were barking furiously at this baby rabbit. Jeremy rescued him, and Stephen thought it was the greatest thing. The little guy was so small that I thought it was a rat! After taking a couple pictures (and reluctantly agreeing that we shouldn't keep it), Jeremy returned him safely to the wild. Oh, and the other picture is just Caleb waving hello!=)
Proverbs 31:30 tells us about the virtuous woman's crowning feature. She has so many amazing qualities, but which one stands above them all? Here's what the verse says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." The "completion and crowning" of the virtuous woman's character is her fear of the Lord. Every thing she does is guided by her love for God; her desire to please Him. Matthew Henry writes, "Beauty recommends none to God, nor is it any certain indication of wisdom and goodness." God looks at our hearts, as He did in the Old Testament with David. We should do the same with ourselves and with others. Earthly beauty can (and will) fade, but eternal beauty remains. It withstands the hardships of life and becomes more and more beautiful with each passing day.
I love the next quote from Henry's commentary. As I often battle with feeling "old" and "battered," this section offers such encouragement. I know some of you right now are thinking how crazy I am for saying that I, as a 28 year old, feel old but let me explain, so you will understand why Proverbs 31:30 is one of my life verses. I know that physically Jeremy and I are young. I do realize, however, that our actions and thought patterns tend to make us "older." When everything happened on August 27, Jeremy and I had to grow up. We had no choice. Because of all God taught us (and because we understand how short life can be), we sometimes act older than others our age. Yes, this is in reality a good thing. God has taught us SO much. On the other hand, it's frustrating at times. Sometimes I'd like to think and act like a normal 28 year old. I'd like to live more carefree and not see life as something that could be taken at any second. It's hard to balance "turning up the music" with not wasting a day. I tend to sway to one side or the other. I'm not sure if that makes sense. I look at the scars and yes, am very thankful to "remember how merciful You are," but admittedly, at times, I wish them away. That's when my focus has shifted from true beauty to the world's idea of beauty. And immediately I must repent. Please don't judge me on these thoughts. I'm still learning that God pruning me to make the inside beautiful is way more important than working to make the outside attractive. So...here's what Henry writes on this...I love it!:
"It (beauty) is a fading thing at the best, and therefore vain and deceitful. A fit of sickness will stain and sully it in a little time; a thousand accidents may blast this flower in its prime (so true!); old age will certainly wither it and death and the grave consume it. BUT=) the fear of God reigning in the heart is the beauty of the soul; it recommends those that have it to the favour of God, and is, in His sight, of great price; it will last forever, and bid defiance to death itself, which consumes the beauty of the body, but consummates the beauty of the soul."
How awesome! Here's what it boils down to: At death, outer beauty is gone. All the money spent on beauty products won't help. It was a temporal investment that can't last. BUT... at death, internal beauty is PERFECTED! Any investment I make in this type of beauty will last forever! What a great investment! I love it!=) (And will keep asking God to daily transform my thinking!)