A Word to Women of the World by Anne Graham Lotz

January 22, 2017

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

My oldest granddaughter, Ruth Bell, just turned fifteen. She is spectacularly beautiful, with a sweet, strong spirit. One of the birthday traditions in our family is that each of us gives the one who is being celebrated a Bible verse. The verse can be one of blessing, challenge, instruction, promise, or exhortation.  My selection of the verse I felt led to choose for Bell this year was affected by what I saw on news reports the day after the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States.

Various news outlets played video and audio reports of hundreds of thousands of women all over the world marching in protest of President Trump. It was an incredible sight to see women flooding the streets, not only in Washington, but also in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, London and dozens of other major cities. They were peaceful, vulgar, at times obscene…marching for what? They claimed to represent all women, yet a common denominator seemed missing, unless it was fear of President Trump and the possibility that he may interfere with their right to easily accessible abortion for anyone and everyone, at any time, and for any reason.

When I opened my Bible the morning following the march of women, this is what I read in my previously scheduled devotions for the day: Proverbs 9:13-15, 18:  The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.  She sits at the door of her house, (wives, mothers, soccer moms) on a seat at the highest point of the city (in the workplace, in leadership positions), calling out to those who pass by…But little do they know…that her guests are in the depths of the grave.  

My heart aches for many of the women I saw marching…women who have joined a “movement” that is deceptive and in the end, will be destructive and lead them to a spiritual and moral “grave.”[1] I pray earnestly for them to turn to the one, true, living God, who is the only One who can give them the deep, permanent peace, love, hope, and security we all long for.

With these sights and sounds still fresh on my mind, the verse that I have chosen for our beloved Bell is one I share with you, too: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Proverbs 31:30

My prayer for beloved Bell…and for the women of the world…is that as she fears God and seeks to grow in her personal knowledge of Him, she would become a woman of great wisdom and understanding who shuns evil and serves Him faithfully.[2]

Abilities over Appearance... by Heather Clark

Today we're often judged on our appearance rather than our abilities. When will we say enough? I'm fed up with this whole surface over soul. T.V. commercials, radio, magazines, friends, and even partners too, all say and promote this be you, but be perfect too... And even worse in the midst of trying to embody the right amount of athleticism, beauty, brains, and popularity; we lose ourselves.

I mean after we have a face full of make up, the hair color for that month, and the body that's in style, do we even know who we are anymore? A society caught up in looks... for what? Can someone answer that for me? Why are looks so important and more important than being real, having a heart, and even great character? Being so caught up in my looks should've killed me. It robbed me of my identity. I became so disconnected with who I actually was at my core. Quit societys' standards and its definition of normal. Stop trying to be perfect in every way.

Perfection is unattainable. You lose more than you ever gain. You lose who God created you to be, and if we could reach perfection he would've never sent us Jesus. If you follow the world and define yourself by its standards, you will never be good enough. You will always come up short. All the security, worth, and confidence you will ever need is found in God. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be pretty, however we shouldn't focus so much on that, that we lose who we are. There's a balance with everything. Join me in quitting societys' standards that are forever changing, and instead focus on being drop dead gorgeous on the inside. Inner beauty, that beauty lasts forever.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, 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. - 1 Peter  3:3-4