Skip to main content

All Flowers, No Fruit

The beauty bug has bit me!  In the past, my beauty routine has been rather bland.  Quick, natural (no make up),  simple soap and water to wash, no fuss, no extras, no expense.  A recent free facial by a Mary Kay consultant gave me a little jolt!  Skin needs to be taken care of and I"ve been diligent to follow a few new steps and upping the routine!  Preparing for church and looking in the mirror brought that little rush of pleasure of when you feel good, you look good.  Eating right, exercising and caring for skin and body will bring out beauty in anyone.

Now, before you write me off as vain, let me share my heart after the mirror moment!  I knew I was spending more time preparing for outer beauty but I also knew that the inside is much more important than the outside.  Am I preparing my heart to be beautiful?  Do I spend time to pamper, nurture and tune it to be it's best?

I read this morning in Matthew that puzzling account of the fig tree.  "Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away."  Matthew 21:18-20.  I've always wondered, "what did the fig tree do wrong?"   A commentary explained that this tree was full of leaves, a sign of being fruitful, but had no fruit.  It looked full of promise, but was empty.  It was all flowers, no fruit.

As women, could that describe us at times?  We have the look, we go to great lengths, to get 'the look".  Time, effort, expense, nothing is spared when we desire it.  But what about our hearts, our attitudes, words and actions?  Are we as diligent to pamper and prepare them?   We may look pretty, but is there true kindness in our heart, consideration for others, does our life as a Christian, point others to Jesus?

There is an abundance of physical places to get beautiful - salons, spas, tanning beds, etc.  God's Word gives us a picture of what true beauty looks like in Proverbs 31.  I know, this passage is scary!  Everything this woman does is way above what I do.  I just don't think I can attain her level. But this passage is defined as "This description of the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the women should make and what wives the men should choose; it consists of twenty-two verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order."  Matthew Henry's Commentary.

Women Living Well has a free Ebook - The Proverbs 31 Woman - One Virtue At a Time.  There is also a free Bible study to accompany this ebook over at Good Morning Girls.  I am participating in this and learning so much!  Taking one virtue at a time, learning, growing and practicing in bite size pieces is changing me bit by bit, virtue by virtue and transforming my heart.  We cannot 'just become Proverbs 31".  It is a transformation that the Lord must make in our hearts.  As we purpose to seek His beauty, just as we strive for physical beauty, it takes some time, dedication and effort.  But His beauty will last forever...."Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."  Proverbs 31:30. 

May we always have an eye for beauty and be full of flowers and fruit!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We
17 comments
Read more

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress.  When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him.  Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some
Post a Comment
Read more

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.
Post a Comment
Read more