Favour is deceitful,
and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the LORD,
she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
This verse is an overall description of my life. In my years of growing up my Dad favored me more than my brothers and sisters.
My brother and sister who are both just younger than me in the birth order of our family frustratingly had to live with this reality. Even today when we come together as a family they mention it sometimes. I did not ask for this favoritism but like anyone I enjoyed its benefits.
All my life I have had a thin frame and have been reasonably attractive. I love to be accepted by those around and desperately love attention. This makes me always smile and be friendly to everyone around.
My father favoured me out of 11 children and I’m considered attractive with a friendly personality. These foundational details of my life have set me up for failure. Why?, you may be wondering. Because I have a well established mindset that I don’t need to work to be a success.
Anyone who is “above average” has had to work hard and fill in all the details to work their way toward success. The best accomplishments are not handed to you on a platter. When a big goal is accomplished in one’s life it is most fulfilling to look back and say, “Yes, I did that impressive thing and I worked hard to get it too. It builds a confidence in onesself that no one can take away and helps you realize for the future that the only way to build more deeply seated confidence is to be adventurous and positive and strive for another big goal!
This is a foundational truth to instill in my children 🙂
So in my current life I am working towards the latter words of Proverbs 31:30:
A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
That’s really what matters as a Christian anyway in this life. I want to fear God more, digilently get to know Christ better and teach my children these important life concepts. I have been praying God would bring a Great Awakening (revival) to my life as a Christian.
Linda's Thoughts 