I've been a little behind in my Bible study homework lately. My trip to Texas and an illness the week before precluded me from working as diligently as I usual. In the past several years, at this point in my studies, I have usually already quit doing the homework. So, I was extra proud of myself for making up my work before the video started yesterday morning.
I'm in the middle of Beth Moore's study of Esther. It has been wonderful so far. I loved the third week when I learned that many, many other women feel "it's tough being a woman in a mean world"! I was absolutely and completely relieved that some other women find living difficult! The next week we talked about how "it's tough being a woman when beauty is a treatment" - well, I would agree back then that those treatments were probably a bit different from today. I do enjoy a little special treatment now and again, and again, and again.
Anyway, as I was "catching up" yesterday I found a sentence that was unexpectedly applicable to my current situation. "In my opinion, a woman only grows lovelier the first four decades of her life. Then, as they say, she grows wise. (Wise enough to pick the right hair color, I hope)." Thank you very much, Beth Moore.
So, here I am on the eve of my 40th birthday. I guess you could say this is my very last day to become any lovelier. It's my last 18 hours and 50 minutes to increase in beautifulness, deliciousness, delicateness, pleasantness, adorableness, stunningness, scrumptiousness, and pulchritudinousness - thanks to the Thesaurus. Today I will avoid (for one more day) becoming awful, disagreeable, drab, homely, ugly, and unsightly. Lucky for me - and for you!
I really don't know what to think about this news. I mean, really, it makes me want to just crawl back into bed and give up. Although, I do think there is some good to becoming wise. I can count many occasions when I've thought back on comments I've made and thought, "hmm, that wasn't a wise thing to say". I know plenty of women who are older than me (and since I'll be 40 tomorrow, that means they have already ended their first 4 decades). I certainly esteem them for their wisdom. I look to them for advice. I look to them for parenting pearls. I look to them for coping strategies, to determine which wrinkle cream really works, and what to eat to avoid the pot belly. I even look to them for beauty suggestions - like whether I should go gray, or not. Guess what!?! I never noticed that they were no longer lovely!!!
Lovely, as defined by the Free Online Dictionary, means: "full of love; inspiring love or affection; beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as the eye; enjoyable; delightful; a beautiful person, especially a woman". Ok, so the end of my 4th decade is arriving at 4:29 am tomorrow morning. I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! and no, I'm not pregnant.
I am planning to use all of the NEW wisdom I will be gaining to figure out how to stay LOVELY for the rest of my life!
2 comments:
Keep up the good work!
Beth Moore's Bible study on the book of Esther is still my favorite. Of course, I am on the other side of 40, so wisdom is important. Our society places so much value on youth that it is a good thing that we become wiser as we get older. It is not so bad to leave some of the things of youth behind and anyway you have lots of memories.
In her latest Bible study "The Inheritance", Beth Moore talks about how the past and experiences make us into the person that God has planned us to be. We can't be bored if we are in God's will. We have a lot to look forward to.
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