Dannah Gresh, author of And the Bride Wore White said, "We are incredible creations of God. If we lose the true essence of womanhood, we lose a very significant piece of what God has designed and the ability to fully reflect the God of heaven."
I heard Dannah Gresh speak at a purity summit when I was about 13. I wrote this quote down since my mom was sitting next to me, but a few years later was when it really started taking meaning to me. That meaning is this: what it means to reflect the God of heaven by honoring the men, and eventually one special man, He created.
Alright, so, when I created this blog its intent was to encourage others through writing about scripture and life experiences. I don't write a ton about my personal life or specifics, but there is a piece of the story of God's powerful transformation in my life I would like to share today.
When I was 12 years old, just a year before I attended this purity summit, I prayed one of the most significant prayers I had ever prayed. I had just learned my teenage cousin was pregnant. It broke my heart as she was someone I loved deeply and looked up to. I remember going off by myself, in tears, and just praying God's protection and love to be poured out over my cousin. In this prayer I began praying over her that she would seek after Christ. I was sad because I had seen her seek after Christ before and I wondered what happened. That's when my prayer began to change. I started praying over myself. I asked God to protect me. I never wanted to be separated from Him. I prayed, "God even if I stop seeking you, please find me. Protect me. No matter what I do, don't let me go". I continued praying for protection that no matter what I did in middle and high school, that God would protect my virginity and my spirit.
In the time between this prayer and the purity summit I attended, my family and I moved to intercity Chicago where I began making some unwise decisions, in particular dating a guy who wasn't following after the Lord. It was a slow process of getting off track, but after not too long I was clearly not seeking after the Lord. If I told people I was a pastor's kid, they would ask me the question: Really? My life was not reflecting the God of heaven.
It took a couple years of bad decisions, being grounded by my parents, and two very patient godly friends for me to change. At age 12 one of the most important things to me was guarding my heart and waiting for my husband. At age 16, I just wanted to give it away. Though I had two godly friends pouring into me, giving me Bible verses even when I told them to stop, I didn't value myself. The night that God transformed me was the night I had agreed to give it all away, to sleep with a guy who by no means would take any value in me. That night I just felt wrong about it and cancelled on him before it happened. That night I chose not to give myself over to a guy, but I gave my whole heart willingly to the One who would protect it for me. I chose to remember the plea I cried out at age 12, asking God to find me, no matter what I had done. And He has been faithful and just to restore me.
The rest of high school, I allowed God to transform me by choosing not to date any guy until college and to take the time to pray over my future husband. I believe I made a spiritual bond to this man I had not even met yet. I've been praying verses and over specific circumstances God has laid on my heart for him over the past four years. The Lord knows who he is, and I'm pretty sure I do too, but now is the time where I'm seeking after Christ, surrendering to His will. As I'm doing this, He is leading and restoring me with my best friend and the most wonderful man I know. He's a man who challenges me and is led by the desire to bring God Alone the Glory in everything he does...
What continually amazes me is God's amazing grace. I don't deserve any of the blessings He has bestowed upon me without it. It saddens me sometimes to think about life without Him, but when I do that I seek to remember Him and that He lives in me.
"And so we know and rely on the love of God. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them" -1 John 4:16. My prayer is this, that I would seek Christ daily, thanking him and resembling Him in my words and actions, so I may be a gift and a symbol of His love because He lives in me. May my heart be a pure heart and immense gift to the man God has called to be my partner in this life in order to encourage him for his work in the kingdom of God. May I fully reflect God.
I intend to be a gift for my husband and be the most mature version of myself I can be because of Christ. I pray that I may be graceful, compassionate, a servant. But may I also be a woman of honor.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" -Proverbs 31:30
What does a woman of honor look like besides who she is for her husband? When I think of a woman of honor I think of a woman who doesn't call attention to herself. This is part of her personality, but it is also shown in how she dresses. Something else I remember learning about at this purity summit when I was 13 is that a woman shows a lot about who she is in how she dresses. God has made women to be men's beautiful companion, but when I see girls walking around in attention-calling clothing I don't think the word beautiful.
Some people say that modesty is a little extreme and "uncool", but what I think is an issue is when Christians start to model themselves after what the world seeks after. A woman fully submitted to the Lord should seek to please Him by serving her brothers in Christ.
Here's a video on modesty I listened to today to understand a little better about the way guys think:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KLKZZWNX
In this video, the speaker says that women do not realize how difficult it is for a man when women are dressed provocatively. The most confusing thing for a guy is when women in the church dress this way and expect respect. Church is the place where people should be seeking to bear the image of God rather than that of the world.
This doesn't mean we should dress in crazy oversized, ugly clothes, but it's just a request to be modest. I feel it would be selfish of me to seek out the attention of men who I will never marry. So if I, and at times I do, feel left out or wish I had not made this decision, I remind myself that I am giving up something in order to serve not only my future husband but also honoring my God. I am seeking to be selfless.
When we decide to live for ourselves rather than choosing to live God`s way, thats exactly what we do - condemn ourselves to destruction. To some extent, selfishness always leads to death of some sort.- Rebecca St. James
And that attitude of selfishness is a sinful attitude the Lord wants to transform in all of His creation. My challenge today is that we, as women, would make a conscious effort to truly live in love by honoring men in the way we dress and surrendering ourselves to seeking after the God who promises His love will never fail, the God of transforming love and grace. Your body is a temple to the Lord, ladies. You are beautiful, chosen and loved by the Almighty God of the universe. May you feel His great love today as you seek to reflect Him, the God of heaven.
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