I recently finished reading Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, by Anne Ortlund, one of the books listed on My Winter Reading Challenge from Trish's Website A Joyful Heart.   This book gives practical, specific suggestions for managing a schedule, maintaining a wardrobe, organizing a personal notebook, prayer, and meditation.

God has specific plans for our lives, but many women simply take "life as it comes."  Are you living your life horizontally, "just one day at a time," merely, drifting down the lazy ol' river, or are you living as Psalm 42: 1 - 2 instructs us to live:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.   My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?

According to Ortlund, as you are sculpting your life, be sure to remember "God first!"  "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you - Matthew 6:33." 

Our looks are important.  When you look at Proverbs 31, the entire description only describes how good the woman looks once.  But she "looked" great.  All of the other attributes stands out above her physical beauty.   We should focus on our beauty, but it shouldn't be all consuming.

Organization is key to our lives so that we don't waste away our precious hours and minutes.  Specific goals and strategies are essential to show visable proof of what you have been doing with your time.  As women, we are drawn toward "doing it all," doing many things at once or multi-tasking whenever possible.  I can nurse a baby, cook dinner and grade papers  all in the name of getting things accomplished.  While this isn't bad in the short run, if we don't allow ourselves time to renew, we can become drained and unfocused on what our goal in life really is.  Some great organizational tools to getting yourself on track are a personal notebook, and key goals to accomplish.

The best laid plans are the ones that usually don't get implemented.  Take it slow.  Don't try to rush into changing and organizing everything about your life in one setting.  She recommends starting with God - shut your eyes to the mess and humbly surrender yourself and your life to God.  After you've done this, bit off bits and pieces one step at a time.  Remember your journey with God is a work in progress, not an immediate success story.

I enjoyed the book and I felt that she had some great insight into focusing on some areas in my life that are in need of some work.  I really appreciated her thoughts about relaxing and allowing God to change my life, one step at time.  I have become complacent in many areas of my walk with Christ.  This book only reaffirms that I must take a more proactive approach to my walk with my savior.

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Posted by schatzila

What a beautiful post....you are so right along with Anne Ortland of course:-)

I have been doing a study on Proverbs 31, and realized that King Solomon was the one who wrote Proverbs 31 about his mother Bathsheba....I was blown away by that realization....this was not about a wife, but a mother...isn't that amazing? That is how I want my boys and daughters to see me, but unfortunately some days, it's the complete opposite.

Thankfully we walk daily with the Lord and he teaches us and refines us moment by moment....what an awesome God we serve.

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