Ok, whenever I hear the word courage, I think of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz trembling and shaking.  But, being an inner-beautiful woman does not mean that you must walk in fear.  It takes courage to confront a boss who is treating you unfairly.   It takes courage to recover from an abusive relationship.  It takes courage to go into the dark world of a loved one to bring them out of trouble. The good news is that you don’t have to go all the way to Oz to receive courage.  God created you in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27), that is we share in His nature;  and, our God is strong (Psalm 24:8).

In order to face your difficulties without fear, you must walk in your beliefs without fear.

Obey God’s standards, keep His order and values

When God tells us to do what He said, it generally comes with a promise.  If you are walking in His way, you can trust in the promises that God has made.

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Joshua 1:7

Maintain peace with God

When you are saved, you are no longer at enmity with God.  Hence, you have peace with Him (Romans 5:1) because the blood of Christ covers the gap that was created by original sin.  However, let’s face it, we still sin and fall short of God’s standards everyday.  That sin again, separates us from the Lord.  When this happens, quickly ask God for forgiveness.  Forgiveness is key, because it restores the open fellowship between you and the Lord.  Living in this way will increase your faith that the Lord will strengthen your heart when you are facing trials (Psalm 27:14).

When you are going through difficult times, you can walk in the strength of the Lord.  You can walk in the strength of the Lord everyday.   It is a lifestyle. Do things His way and keep open communication with Him; the Lord will have your back.

Do you believe that God will fight all of your battles?  Why or why not?

Photo Credit:  Red Agate “Courage” Bracelet.

Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master. Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.

Colossians 3:18-19 (The Message)

Featured Image Photograph: Time with God by Julie A. Medley

You probably have a list of the things you want to do today.  If you’re like me you have a calendar to track things you’ll do this month and this year.  But, what are you going to do with the rest of your life? Do you have a bucket list?  When you’ve finished your bucket list, then what?

I’ve just finished reading the book Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan, director and founder of Gospel for Asia.   Yohannan has spent his entire adult life focused on one goal, to share Christ with the lost, specifically the millions who are trapped in cast systems and nearly unreachable in the hidden corners of India and the vast continent of Asia.  If you are a Westerner, this book will change the way you view the life you have been given. As a Christian, it will force you to come to terms with the fact that non-Christians we interact with everyday are on a road that will lead them to hell.   I know you’ve been taught this, but do you believe it?  Does your life reflect that you actually believe it to be true?  You will ask, why have I been blessed with this or that. You will question, why was I born with the benefits and freedom of living in the Western world.

Many questions remained in my heart after reading this book.  But, when I put it down, there was only one question that rose to the surface.  Now, this question was raised way back in chapter three of a book with over twenty chapters.    Most of the time it’s hard for me to go back that far.  But here, Yohannan recounts a story from when he attended a John Haggai institute for the training of Asian church leaders. Haggai asked him one question that forced him to re-evaluate the direction and course of his life.  It  stayed with Yohannan and it stayed with me.

What is the single most important thing you are going to do with the rest of your life?  Will you do one thing, not self-centered or worldly, but, one thing that will bring glory to God?

-from John Haggai to K.P. Yohannan, in Revolution in Missions by K.P. Yohannan, 1986.

Have you thought about this? I have.  And, yet, I’m still thinking about it.  Do you need to revise your bucket list?

Psalm 139: 13-14 (NIV)

For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Featured Image Photograph: Time with God by Julie A. Medley

Do you have a long list of great things that you never get around to doing because…(fill in the blank here) ?

I admit, I’m a perfectionist.  Uh, I mean, recovering perfectionist.  Somehow, I think that by waiting until I get everything else just right, I can prevent some type of major disaster from happening.  But, the perfect time never comes, and I wind up putting more and more things on the back burner.  In reality, if I waited for the perfect time, from great to small, I would never get anything accomplished.  Inner Beauty Jewelry wouldn’t exist, nor would you be reading this post right now.

The truth is: Perfect conditions are not in our control.  By waiting for perfect conditions, I was saying that everything depended on me.  But, that’s not true.  What I think may be the perfect conditions, may not really be so.  The Lord watches over every aspect of our lives.  I never know exactly how it’s going to come about.  But, I do know that if you focus on planting seeds that give Him glory, you can trust that He will create just the right conditions, in His own right time, to make it grow.

This post was inspired by this Scripture posted in a tweet by Lee Bezotte.

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.  - Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

Will you accept this challenge? - Take the first step toward something that’s in your heart.  Maybe it’s spending some quality time with your children, or just telling your spouse, I love you.  Or, have you been waiting for the perfect time to change careers or open your own business?

I would love to hear from you.  Let me know how you took your first step and what fascinating things lie ahead for you!

All the best,

Lynnette

Featured Image Photo Credit: View of Red Flowers. 1906. The Field Museum Library Photo Archives on Flickr

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Wear Your Inner Beauty is a personal and professional blog dedicated to celebrating inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living. This is the place where values, lifestyle and fashion meet.

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Sterling Silver Mother Charm

Each of us special abilities in certain specific areas, but, the truth is that God also has a general calling for every woman.   Our general calling is to transfer God’s values and standards to the next generation. This is a high calling, a special calling, but the good news is that it applies whether you have your own biological children or not.

I do not have children of my own, but I’m blessed to have a lot of young children around me.  I want to make a difference in their lives.  One thing I can do is help them learn how to live in a way that pleases God.  It’s not always easy.  Now, they are trying to establish their own identities and sometimes test the limits of what they should and should not do.  But, it’s ok.  We all have to learn to walk, and fall,  before we can run.

So, maybe you are an aunt, step mother, sister, or just a friend of the family.  How can you transfer godly values and standards into children that are not your own?

• Develop a good relationship with them.
• Just be available to them if they need help making a good decision in a difficult situation.
• Point them in the way of God’s standards and values.  And, be consistent.
• Live out a good example before them, so that when the time comes, they will value and respect what you have to say.

Sounds like pressure, huh?  It’s okay.  No doubt, we are going to make mistakes.  But, teaching them that everyone makes mistakes is part of the process.  From that, we can show them how to handle mistakes in a way that does not cause more trouble down the road.  And, importantly, they can see how to stand up, shake off the dust, and begin again.

Unfortunately, if we do not actively transfer God’s values into the children around us, the next generation will be more likely to succumb to distorted versions the truth.  Are there children in your lives who could benefit from all that you have to give? If so, happy mother’s day!  Embrace your calling to be a mother.  It’s that important.

Lynnette

Wear Your Inner Beauty is dedicated to celebrating inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living. This is the place where values, lifestyle and fashion meet.

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Though fleeting, looking at a treasury is always a nice reminder of the beauty and art that’s around us in everyday items.

For information on how to view treasuries and use them to help promote the featured artists take a look at this article by LindaButterfly.  Even though Inner Beauty jewelry items have been featured in treasuries before, I didn’t really understand how they “worked.”  But, it’s never too late to learn something new!

Lynnette

Wear Your Inner Beauty is dedicated to celebrating inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living. This is the place where values, lifestyle and fashion meet.

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online magazine that focuses on true beauty, inside and out!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name is Brittany Trotman, and I’m the editor of BeautyGirlMag.com. In addition to being an editor, I am a high school English teacher and newlywed (smile).

What is the inspiration behind BeautyGirlBlog.com and how did it evolve into BeautyGirlMag.com?

Last summer, after watching a group called The Rubyz on T.V., I realized how important it was to offer a resource for females where they can gain inspiration to be their best self. Rubyz is a group of girls who sing and inspire young females to dress modestly and make the right choices for their lives.

That night I brainstormed and began BeautyGirlBlog.com. At first, it was just me writing. I started out writing on subjects of inner beauty but soon realized that it was important to also offer information from experts on other areas of beauty (because let’s face it, we all want to look good too). School was approaching and I knew that I couldn’t keep the blog going by myself and was blessed to have several writers come on board with me.

All along, I had a vision beyond the “beauty blog” world and wanted it become an online magazine. But still at that, I didn’t want it to become just an online magazine. My vision for BeautyGirl is to have our readers to go out into their communities and serve other women. Eventually, BeautyGirl will offer a scholarship to a deserving young girl who exhibits true beauty.

This mission of BeautyGirl is to redefine beauty as defined by our society and encourage females of all ages to embrace their own unique qualities. In doing this, we offer tips and advice covering all areas of beauty. BeautyGirl especially focuses on “green” products and supporting non-profit organizations.

What obstacles did you have to overcome in launching your e-zine?

I’ve had a lot of doors open and such positive responses; however, the biggest challenge was more on a personal level. At first, my friends and family just didn’t “get it.” They didn’t understand what my passions and dreams were for BeautyGirl, and it’s understandable. A lot of people don’t understand this movement of social media and blogs. However, my family took notice and realized the impact BeautyGirl was making at the first event last month.  They always cared and now they “get it.”

Who are your supporters that have helped you develop BeautyGirlMag.com?

My husband has been my biggest supporter. He’s very creative and possesses such entrepreneur qualities. He designed several websites of his own and that’s how I had first got the idea to start BeautyGirl. Not only has he supported my ideas, but he has also spent countless hours designing the site and brainstorming with me. There’s nothing better than being married to your biggest fan.

How has being surrounded by like-minded women influenced you and the success of BeautyGirlMag.com?

My writers have also been a huge inspiration to me through their ideas, creativity, articles, and accomplishments. I’m very blessed to work with such a great group of women.

A few months ago, I began to network with local women. This opened more doors than I ever thought imaginable. By connecting with like-minded women who have the same passions and want to carry the same message, I’ve seen that I can truly live out my dreams with BeautyGirl. For example, by networking with like minded women I was able to host an organic beauty event. I had several women volunteer their time and talents to be a part of the event, including hair and face makeovers. The event was a success all because of the women who joined with me to spread the word and offer their talents. Teaming up with other women has shown me that the goals I want to accomplish are possible!

What is your definition of true beauty?

My definition of true beauty is accepting yourself for who you are but always striving to sharpen qualities, such as integrity, honesty, and loyalty. There’s nothing more gorgeous than a woman who doesn’t have to wear a lot of makeup or show off a lot of skin to feel and know that she is beautiful.

What advice do you have for young women who are struggling with self-esteem or still trying to find their voice?

If you don’t know you are in Christ, you’ll never have the confidence to have a voice. When you know that you’re loved with a perfect love by a perfect God, then you began to accept yourself as you are because you know that you were created to look that way, to talk that way, and to act that way. Knowing who are you in God allows you to understand your purpose and to live it out.

You are also a teacher.  How do you balance work, writing, and family?

This is something that I am currently trying my best to do. I’ve realized lately that I have to put first things first. First is family. Second is being a teacher, and last is writing and editing. I’ll have to admit, I was getting to the point where BeautyGirl was precedence. I literally would go to bed with Twitter being the last thoughts on my mind. When I finally made a conscious effort to prioritize my life according to what was best then I found myself to be less stressed. One day I hope that BeautyGirl will be my full-time job, but until then it can’t overshadow my career as a teacher.

Where else can I find your writing?

You can find me blogging for the Southern Beauty magazine website under the faith and inspiration section and also for the Christian family magazines for the Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Tennessee Valley markets.

What is next for BeautyGirlMag.com?  Do you have any special events coming up?

The next event that BeautyGirl will be hosting is a community service project and launch party. We are still in the planning stages but stay tuned for details.

Thank you for sharing an inner-view of yourself with us!

To keep up with Brittany visit BeautyGirlMag.com or follow Brittany on Twitter.

Lynnette

Wear Your Inner Beauty is a personal and professional blog dedicated to celebrating inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living. This is the place where values, lifestyle and fashion meet.   S. D. G.

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So, what kind of connections have you made in your life?   Do the people in your inner circle want to see you grow and develop or would they rather you remain in dead end situations?  Do you have long time friends who expect you to act the same way today as you did when you were a teenager?

Here are a few tips to keep your inner circle full of meaningful relationships:

1.  Include someone who is striving toward a similar goal.  Are you finishing school or trying to learn a new skill?  If you have a friend who is doing the same thing you can learn together.  If you are both genuinely interested in reaching the goal, you’ll be stronger together than you would be alone.

2.  Identify someone that you can mentor. Ok, now that you’ve finished college or successfully learned how to cook a gourmet meal, bring someone along with you.  Talk with young people about their goals and dreams. Tell them what it was like to go to college and encourage them.  Or, by teaching someone else the skill you learned, you’ll learn more yourself. Maybe use this opportunity to teach your children.  You’ll build your relationship with them and they will benefit while learning from you.

3.  Befriend someone who is already where you want to be.  Once you’ve achieved one goal, set another.  A more mature women can share her experiences on how to balance career and family. A successful business owner could teach you about successful marketing.  Learning from someone more experienced will help you to properly interpret new experiences and avoid pitfalls at the next level.

These principles will work for various aspects of your life, including spiritual growth.  God has enriched my life in these areas.  There are young women at work that I’ve mentored in their spiritual walk. In many cases it’s just a matter of being transparent, supporting them in their desire to follow God’s standards, and encouraging them when they miss the mark.  I’ve bonded with personal friends because we are at similar phases of spiritual understanding and growth.  And, finally, there are a couple of women, more mature in age and wisdom, who model for me what it looks like to walk with the Lord day after day and year after year.  My faith grows when I’m going through a difficult trial and they are able to encourage me and share with me from their experiences.

There’s a trend now in people saying don’t be around people who bring you down.  Following these tips is a surefire way to keep your life full of meaningful connections.

What type of connections have you made?  How have they influenced who you are today?

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

-Proverbs 27:17

Lynnette

Front Page Image Photo Credit:  Double Spiral Chainmaille Bracelet, Inner Beauty Jewelry

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Wear Your Inner Beauty is a personal and professional blog dedicated to celebrating inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living. This is the place where values, lifestyle and fashion meet.   S. D. G.

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Inner Beauty Value: Forgiveness

How old do you think the crystals in these earrings are?  These crystals were manufactured in Austria sometime between the 1950′s and 1970′s.  So they are old.  But, despite their age, the are in remarkable condition.   After 50 years, I would expect these crystals to have significant dents, scratches, and dings that would prevent them from doing what they were designed to do, that is to capture and reflect light in a marvelous way.  Deep scratches and dings would just scatter the light and cause the crystals to look dull.

So, my question to you is this.  Are you getting better with age or have the years left you with some dents, scratches, and dings?

If you’ve been hurt by something that occurred in the past, forgive the one who has hurt you. But, really forgive them with no strings attached.  Without forgiveness, the wounds of the past will keep you from reaching your full potential.

If you have hurt someone else, acknowledge your actions and ask God for forgiveness.  That sets the stage; He will help you with what must happen next.  Go to the other person and tell them, sincerely, that you are sorry.   Try to reconcile.  If possible, take steps to try to restore things to the original state.  For example, if out of anger you took someone’s car without permission and then crashed it into a mailbox, then perhaps you can get the car fixed.  It is up to the other person to choose to forgive you.   They may, 0r they may not.   But, your apology must come from the heart, with humility, or it will not be perceived as genuine.  In this way, you help them to be the best they can be, by helping to heal their wound.

Make it a habit to practice good wound management so that, as the years roll by, the dents, scratches, and dings will be at a minimum.  You will be as beautiful as the day you were created and nothing about you will be dull!

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Do you have the same goal this year that you had last year? Read on.

At the end of last year I starting implementing a few concepts to help me reach short term personal goals.  I’ve found them useful and I think you’ll find them useful for new year resolutions – which are, in fact, just another type of personal goal.

Here are three quick tips that will help you out.

1.  Create a new year resolution that is specific and realistic

If you’re new year resolution is not realistic, you will not achieve your goal.  So, ask yourself, is this really something that I can accomplish.   For example, instead of I resolve to lose weight  (which is what I said last  year),  I will restructure my goal to “I resolve to lose 10 pounds by the end January”. Making the resolution realistic and specific gives you a framework with which to measure your progress.  So, when you are able to accomplish the realistic goal, it automatically spurs you on to keep working on another realistic goal for February.  By the end of the year, guess what?  You will have accomplished the big picture goal that was the point of setting the resolution in the first place.

2.  Use principles to keep you on track

Principles are small actions that, collectively, will allow you to reach the standard that you are striving for.  For example, what if your new year resolution is to stop smoking. That’s a common one.  A principle that you could put in place might be that every time you feel the urge to smoke, you chew a piece of gum. In my quest to shed pounds, one new prinicple that I’m putting in place is to drink water in place of sodas. If I use other principles, like eating chicken and fish instead of beef.  Then, the principles work together to help me achieve the bigger goal.  They are convenient because they can be monitored short term.

3.  Put in place a system of accoutability

Accountability may be the #1 reason why so many of us fail to achieve any goal that requires a change of habit.  In my quest to lose weight, I have decided to try the EA Sports Active game for the Wii as a way to get me moving again.  In the commercial, the guy says that the program gave him something to be accountable to. That is key.  But, being accountable to something inanimate may not work for all of us.  For me, it has been that my husband asks me each evening if I’ve exercised today.  It’s up to me to do the work.  But it keeps me motivated when I know that he’s going to ask me when he gets home from work.  Naturally, we want to answer in the affirmative when we are trying to reach a goal.  If we have to answer no, it just feels bad.

New year resolutions challenge you to meet a higher standard in your life than what you are currently experiencing.  So, keeping them is well worth the effort. Whether it’s losing weight, being more decisive, or finally kicking a bad habit, the results don’t always come easy. Using these three tips will give you a starting point and make it just a little easier. And, they can apply to any goal you have, now or all year long.

What plans do you have in place for making and setting goals.  Share your tips, stories, and experiences below.

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So now, I make it every year at this time, just like she did.  It is a blessing to see people enjoying it.  It  goes down warm.  The citrus and spice is so comforting.  And, it tastes delicious – not extremely sweet, but well-flavored.

It turns out that the word for wassail is derived from wæs hæil which means to be healthy.

So, all the best to you and your family during this time.   And, I leave you with this blessing,  in the words of John,

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.  - 3 John 2

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Recipe for Wassail from Mom’s Kitchen

Ingredients

Directions:

Please everything in the crock pot.  I usually start with 1/2 cup sugar.  Cook on low for 4-8 hours.  (If you are in a hurry, you may cook on high for 1 hour, but I really think it tastes better when left to cook low and slow).   Strain to remove orange and spices.  Adjust sugar to taste.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!

Options:

• Once, the wassail is strained, slice an orange and float a few of the slices in the top of the wassail for color.
• Serve in a mug with a fresh cinnamon stick, like as a stirrer, for added flavor.

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This post is linked to The {Tastes and Smells} of Christmas at The Joyeful Journey.  Check it out to enjoy more tastes and smells of Christmas.

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Wear Your Inner Beauty is a personal and professional blog dedicated to exploring real inner beauty, jewelry, and practical insight and inspiration for Christian living.  This is the place where values and behavior meet.

~ S. D. G.

Snow in Houston (12/04/09).

Originally uploaded by Inner Beauty Jewelry

This post is part of a series by StudioJRU entitled A Glimpse.  It is a beautiful series that gives us an opportunity to highlight God’s splendor in and around our everyday lives.  If you would like to join, read other similar posts, or share A Glimpse of your own please visit StudioJRU.

I’ve lived in Houston, Texas for 12 years now and during that time it has snowed twice, but I was out of town each time. Now, I can say that it has snowed three times, because it snowed this past Friday. Early in the week there were rumors that it was going to snow. On Thursday, I was out running errands and the temperature dropped sharply reminding me of the winters I’ve spent up North. So, I began to believe that it really might snow. Surely, we wouldn’t get the two inches that I heard the lady talk about in the grocery store. Would we? Maybe just a little dusting.

By 10 AM Friday morning, it was snowing. Pretty big flakes were coming down. Not having seen snow in such a long time, it was just amazing, and beautiful! I was like a child seeing snow for the first time. There is something special about snow falling. When it begins to fall, everything is so very quiet. It’s as if the snow causes all of nature to hush, just for a moment.

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor. The animals take cover; they remain in their dens. The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love.   Job 37:5-13, NIV

The next day…

Saturday morning, my family and I were scheduled to take a short lunch cruise around Galveston Bay, just south of Houston. This trip had been planned for months. But, all day Friday we talked about how maybe it should be cancelled – that the weather was just too bad for us to drive the hour that it would take to arrive at the boat dock. But, Saturday morning the sun came out and the sky cleared. We have bright, clear sunny days often in Houston. In fact, I would say they are probably the norm. But, the splendor of this day was that just the day before it had been windy, cloudy, snowy, and wet. Saturday, it was dry, still crisp, but the sun was bright just like a summer day and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was beautiful! We had a great time on the cruise. The bright sunlight bounced off of the waves. There were other boats sailing around and I even saw a couple zip by on jet skis. It was hard to believe that it had been snowing just 24 hours before.

Clear skies and blue waters in Galveston Bay. You would never know that it had snowed the day before.

The Lord has shown us His splendor. All of nature is His and under His control. He displays it to us as He chooses. He showed it to me in such a way that I could appreciate both the snowy day and the sunny day, like a child, even though I’d seen them before. And, my awe is my praise to Him.

Beauty comes from within. What is inner beauty? It is the place where behavior and values meet.

~ S. D. G.

Inner Beauty Value: Wisdom

With today’s passage, I want to briefly introduce the concept of inner beauty values.  Values are standards of merit, or virtues that we believe in and hold dear.  When inner beauty values truly become a part of our heart, they spill over into our actions, and allow more inner beauty to rise to the top.  Regarding inner beauty, it is easy to say, “that woman is beautiful inside-and-out,” but it is more difficult to precisely define what that inner beauty really is.  The values help us to make sense of that beauty.  We can examine ourselves through this lens and use them as standard to let our inner beauty shine through.

So, without reservation, here is the Word of Wisdom for today:

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;  love her, and she will watch over you.   ~ Proverbs 4:6

Wisdom works together with knowledge; it tells us how to correctly apply that which we know to be true and right.   Wisdom,  is just one of the values that enhance inner beauty.  But, you don’t have to be 90 years old to apply wisdom.  Wisdom comes from the Lord, but it is accessible to all of us.   Proverbs, a book of wisdom, clearly outlines practical wisdom for many of life’s situations.  It is a good place to start.  When I was a child, probably about 10 years old, my grandmother told me that Proverbs has 31 chapters.  She encouraged me to read one chapter a day, each day of the month,  so that I could learn how to make good decisions.   To this day, I’ve remembered this as an adult and continue to incorporate it into my study.

In the last post, I discussed how to make right decisions.  Having wisdom in our heart is a key part of what allows us to make good decisions at home, work, school and all of our areas of influence.  Parents, it is your responsibility to transfer wisdom to your children.  Why?  We learn here that wisdom has a protective effect.   Being able to rightly apply what you know keeps us out of trouble and helps us to maintain good relationships with our friends and family.  These are life skills that, if learned at an early age, will keep them as an adult.  That’s a good thing!  So, seek to apply wisdom in everything you do.

Are you applying wisdom in your everyday life?  Post your comments, questions, or share your stories below.

Beauty comes from within.  What is inner beauty?  It is the place where behavior and values meet.

S. D. G.

How do you know when you are doing the right thing?  Perhaps the answer to this varies with the circumstance.  If we are talking about what to wear in the morning, then the “right” thing to wear may be an outfit based on what you saw in your favorite magazine.  Or, the “right” thing to wear could depend on the type of work you do.  The classic business suit and heels, complete with briefcase, might not be the best bet if you work in a daycare with children ages 2-3.   The right thing to wear could very well be based on what is most comfortable to you.  This is a decision we make everyday.  For some, a lot of time and effort is spent on this decision, for others it’s a 2-3 second moment and it’s over.  But, for most, this decision is made without the risk of a lot of negative consequences to you or others.

But, more serious questions about doing the right thing come up all the time in every aspect of our lives.

• What is the right thing to do when you are told that your child is fighting at school?
• What about when your husband asks you to do something that you just don’t feel like doing?
• What do you do when your best friend wants to copy answers from your test?
• What is the right thing to do when your boss asks you to change the numbers on the financial report, just this once?
• What is the right thing to do when you discover that someone who has been in prison has moved into your neighborhood
• What do you do when someone you know is deliberately spreading lies?

Often there seems to be more than one right answer or right way to handle these situations.  We may have seen our parents or a close friend handle a situation a certain way and so instantly that comes to mind for us and seems to be okay.    But, when you commit to an answer, how do you know that it is the right choice?

Let’s look at this word of wisdom from Proverbs:

All a man’s ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.   –Proverbs 21:2

The heart is where we store our values and beliefs.  Ultimately, those beliefs and values that we treasure will directly influence how we handle the tough decisions.  The Lord examines our motives against His values.  So, in the course of each day it is best to weigh our decisions against these values.  Ask yourself, why am I making this certain decision?  What about the example where your boss asks you to change the numbers on the financial report? If being honest is important to you, then, you’ll make the decision not to change the numbers, even if it means that you might lose your job.  If your decisions are based on corrupt values, although it might seem right at the time, it will end up bringing about more trouble in the end.  In this situation, you may find that you will have to keep changing the numbers every quarter, and when the company fails financially, you may be the one they blame.   If you stand on not changing the numbers, your boss’ mistakes may be later exposed, since you chose not to hide them, and you will still have your job.

So, why did you make that certain decision?  When you make a decision based on good values, you can say that you made a conscious effort to maintain a standard of honesty in your life, for example.  When we take a stand for doing the right thing, it may be lonely for a minute, but your actions will have an impact on your circle of influence and others may chose to follow suite.   Having a reputation for doing the right thing is just another way to wear your inner beauty!

How do you wear your inner beauty through your decision making? Post your comments or questions below.

Beauty comes from within.  What is inner beauty?  It is the place where behavior and values meet.  Are you inspired to wear your inner beauty?  If so, do you change your behavior or your values?  You decide.

S. D. G.