Day 47: Evaluate Your Countenance

Scripture to Memorize:
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:22-23
Passage to Read:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used and make themselves beautiful.
1 Peter 3:3-5
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I want my beauty to come from my inner self, not from the outside. I don't want people to think I am beautiful because I wear the latest fashions or adorn myself in a style that is in keeping with the fashion magazines. I want my beauty to come from a gentle and quiet spirit.
Holy Spirit you alone can transform me from the inside out. Only your power at work within my spirit, soul, and body can make me, and keep me a truly beautiful woman. Teach me to cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight. Father God please forgive me when I have looked to the world to define myself as beautiful or my appearance to be pleasing to people not you. Forgive me for the times I have neglected my inward appearance and also for the times I have neglected my outward appearance. Help me to seek to have a pleasing inward and outward appearance equally. Holy Spirit guide me to follow the example set forth for me in the Word of God. Lord Jesus, make me beutiful from the inside out. Amen.
Personal:
Donna begins today's lesson with a quote "You can read the character of a man on the countenance of his wife". She then explains that a woman's face reflects what kind of man her husband is. If her face shows a woman who is beaten down, stressed-out and overwhelmed then Donna draws the conclusion about her husband as being abusive. I'm not certain I agree with such a sweeping statement because I know some women who look like that who are not in abusive relationships. They are simply in lifestyles that leave them feeling overwhelmed, a sick child, a number of children who are all close in age, financial issues, education problems, all kinds of factors.
However, she also says that some women's faces reflect the love and care they received, not from an earthly husband but from a heavenly one. These women have a deep knowledge of God's love for them. Their beauty comes from a heavenly relationship rather than an earthly one. Donna further states that "although we are all profoundly impacted by our human relationships, it is possible for a woman to transcend the treatment she received". She tells us that it is not easy but it is possible. This countenance, Donna states "grows out of God-confidence" instead of insecurity and lack of self-confidence which is the root of a contentious spirit. Donna then shares that today's passage continues with giving Sarah, the wife of Abraham as an example. "They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." (1 Peter 3:6) She then talks about how when Sarah was in the Pharaoh's harem because of Abraham's actions she must have been tempted to give in to fear but she didn't. Instead Sarah kept a gentle and quiet spirit, inspite of her fear, because she had confidence in God.
Donna says that "self-confidence is based on your level of trust in your own ability and resources". She then gives a list of things that might give people self-confidence. Some of the things she listed were parentage, schools you attended, being born in the right neighborhood, attending the right church, the length of time you've been a Christian, how well you performed certain Christian rites, your status in church and/or community, etc. All the things she listed were outward things. But God-confidence is putting your trust completely in God, believing that God has a purpose for your life, and he can see that purpose fulfilled regardless of evidence to the contrary. "Self-confidence looks inward; God-confidence looks upward" Donna says and she asks "On which one does your life rest?" Having God-confidence Donna puts forth is what gives a woman truly beautify. With that I fully agree. Even though I may not always have that confidence 100%, I do believe that since my reaffirmation of faith I have had more God-confidence than self-confidence. The more I grow in my faith the greater is my God-confidence and the quieter and gentlier my spirit.
Affirmation: A gentle and quiet spirit makes me truly beautiful.
Practical:
Donna instructs us to evaluate the basis of our confidence. Then she asks three questions:
(1) Are you operating on self-confidence or God-confidence? Gradually I am operating on God-confidence much more frequently but still don't have God-confidence 100% of the time.
(2) What does your countenance reflect? Again I believe it is reflecting God-confidence and a gentle and quiet spirit more than it did before. However, there are still times when it is anything but. There are times when I would be labeled as contentious.
(3) What does your countenance tell the world about your husband (both earthly and heavenly)? Again I would hope that more often than not it would tell the world that both my earthly and heavenly husbands show me love and care. Because my earthly husband is not perfect there would be times when my countenance based on his actions may not be of a gentle and quiet spirit. But at those time I pray that the love and care of my heavenly husband would be reflected in my countenance. However, I know that is not always the case because I am anything but perfect.