Ponderings and Resolutions

I'm not one for new year resolutions although I do tend to be one who uses the change of a year to take stock of the last and look to what changes can be made for improvement in the new. I usually tend to focus on activities in my observations and cull what has left me feeling stressed and over committed.

Over the last two weeks, thanks to some rather stinging comments, I have been pondering more character related lessons. It took me a little while to decide if the comments were worthy of my contemplation. Was it a case of comparing bananas with guavas or am I really that unreasonable a person? I decided that perhaps there is a little truth on each side of fence. Not that I believe I'm unreasonable to the extent that was indicated, but perhaps there are some areas of character that should be identified to be improved upon. At the same time I was reading 1 Peter. Goodness only knows why I decided that I should be reading that book at that time, but two little verses did pop out at me.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight" (v 3-4)

I've noticed that many very conservative Christian women use these verses to declare we must be fairly plain and only wear dresses. To me, the two verses together indicate that our focus should be on our true beauty being within instead rather than our focus being the beauty of what we wear without (not that there's anything wrong with dressing well!).

My goal for this year is to pursue what a 'gentle and quiet spirit' looks like for me. God hasn't made me to be quiet and gentle, naturally. However, there must be a gentle and quiet that fits with how He has made me. And so, my prayer for this year is that God would show me what and how I need to change for that inner beauty to be more true in me.