Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Lasting Beauty

A while ago, I wrote a post about beauty. In it, I said that we should care about our appearance without sliding into vanity and I still believe that. As Christian ladies, we should seek a healthy balance between not caring how we look and caring too much.

A week ago, though, a sister helped me realize I’d forgotten about something more important than decent clothing and hair. As we talked over dinner, it grew more and more obvious: even though she looked externally beautiful, her appearance was not the spring of her beauty. 

This is a sister I’ve come to greatly admire in the short while I’ve known her. She spends time evangelizing every week, is there for her husband as he steps into a new pastoral role, works on learning Spanish to better serve the women in her church, and volunteers as a church secretary daily. Her beauty came from inside, manifested in the things she does.

Maybe it’s the cliches that now surround it or the sheer corniness of how it sounds, but I’ve neglected to write about this inner beauty. I have no trouble remembering 1 Timothy 2:9. But the next verse, the one that says what our adornment should be, I have no trouble forgetting.

God, through Paul in his letter to Timothy, tells us that as godly women we should dress with modesty, showing self-control. This is, of course, important and good to remember, but the instructions don’t end there.

In 1 Timothy 2:10, we’re further instructed on how to adorn ourselves. Instead of using expensive, immodest, gaudy clothing we’re to rely on good works to bring out our beauty. And really, what’s truly more beautiful? The latest low-cut embellished Armani tank top or a heart after God’s own expressed outwardly through works?

Our salvation is not attained by works, but works should adorn all believers. Our character, work ethic, compassion, and charity should shine brightly as a testament to the salvation God granted us.

I sometimes tend to focus on my appearance and neglect the true source of beauty: a heart changed by the God who died on a cross so I could be saved and made new. That’s when I have to let God remind me that external beauty is fleeting but the inner beauty that he gives believers will last all eternity.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Style Idea 18: Summer Heat

It’s been a hot summer in Las Vegas. It may seem like an obvious thing to say, but it still kind of amazes me when it’s past 90 degrees at 7am. I am amazed pretty much daily. The best thing to wear on 115-degree days is a breezy dress like this one with the least amount of accessories possible. This way, you won’t have to fuss with intricate folds of fabric as you venture out for groceries or popsicles.

Summer Heat

Mosaic Dress: $38.00 Francesca's
 
Handmade Leather Bag: $185.00 Jenny N Design
 
Sunnies: $5.80 Forever 21
 
Black Wedges: $64.99 Mod Cloth

Monday, July 26, 2010

Proverbs 31 Challenge: Don’t Do Nothing

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:27

With only four verses to go, we now arrive at the summary of this whole series. All the verses before this have shown us that the virtuous godly woman works to maintain her household.

We’ve seen that the Proverbs 31 woman rose early in the morning to start a productive day. She made clothing, bought food, planted vineyards, sold sashes, decorated her home, and helped the poor. This had to be a woman who didn’t often give into the temptation to just sit there and do nothing.

How many of us can say we’re as productive as this woman? Our daily to-do list may not include planting vineyards or sewing winter coats, but we all have things to do that are more important than the latest Top Model marathon (believe me, its easy to get sucked into those).

I recently had three weeks off of school. On my last day of class, I put together a list of things I wanted to do during my time off. It included painting the hallway closet, doing some work on the kitchen cabinets, re-finishing a couple of pieces of furniture, and keeping the house clean. Even though I had two full weeks to do this (one week was spent in Mexico), I somehow managed to accomplish nothing. These things would have benefited my family, but I instead chose to give in to my desire to waste time.

This isn’t to say that we should never rest or always be so busy we have no time for relaxation. There should be a healthy balance between work and rest. I think the problem is that we tend to lean towards resting more often than towards working.

A big part of taking care of your home and those who share it with you is resisting the urge to always do nothing. Whether it’s the television, the telephone, the internet, or something else that tempts you to forget to do laundry, make dinner, or help someone out, I encourage you to think of others before yourself. 

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Photo of the Week

Grandma Piedra
 

I hadn’t seen my grandma in 8 years.

She used to knit me the cutest dresses when I was little.

She taught me to look in the mirror and see beauty.

She laughed so hard once, soda squirted out her nose.

She didn’t remember who I am this time. She seemed to be somehow lost most of the time. She only smiled a few times, probably vain attempts at making things seem alright.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Style Idea 17: LA Lady

Reasons why LA is great:
  1. The weather is always fabulous.
  2. You can never get too far away from a beach.
  3. People drive more kindly than in Vegas.
  4. The mood is always casual and laid back.
  5. It’s where I was born and raised!
LA Lady

Black Tank: $19.50 PacSun

Marigold Sunglasses: $11.99 Mod Cloth

Basic Denim Shorts: $9.50 Forever 21

Yellow Sandals: $44. 95 DSW

Awesome LA Tote: $19.99 Mod Cloth

Monday, July 12, 2010

Proverbs 31 Challenge: Powerful Words

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:26

Have you ever blurted something out just to realize it would have been better to keep quiet? Have you ever stayed up wishing you could take some words back? Have you ever been haunted by the embarrassment of something you said?

That’s probably why the Bible has so much to say about our speech. We all struggle to control the things we say, to reform our words and sentences and align them more to Christ.

James 3 speaks about the damage our words can do, comparing the tongue to a small fire that can destroy a whole forest. Proverbs 18:21 speaks of the great power our words can hold. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus told the Pharisees that words reveal what’s in a person’s heart.

As virtuous women, we have to realize that the words we speak affect a lot of things. Our words have a lot to do with how others perceive us. They can bring encouragement or discouragement to those around us. They affect the mood of our family and in our surroundings. With our words we can either build up or tear down.

Many people have taught that our words are powerful in another way. They teach that the words you speak have power in and of themselves and you therefore have to be careful what you say because words become reality. According to these teachers, you shouldn’t say, “I’m getting sick,” even when you feel a cold coming on because then you will for sure get sick.

Although popular, that doctrine has no Biblical warrant and its not what this challenge is about. Our words have power only in the way our actions have power. If you kick a ball it will move. If you yell at someone they’ll be hurt.

The virtuous woman knows to have self-control and speak with wisdom and kindness. She is a blessing to those around her because she speaks good things. Let’s work at being virtuous in this way and start thinking about our words before we say them. Let’s stop ourselves before arguing with someone, before criticizing, before putting down, before mocking.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mexico Vacation Part 2: El Oro

Palacio Municipal
 
After visiting my dad’s side of the family in Cuernavaca, we headed over to my mom’s hometown: El Oro. We went from humid tropical weather to cool overcast days and rainy nights. What I love about El Oro is that even after so many years, everything has stayed pretty much the same. The city hall in the photo above seems especially unchanging, always painted in its signature bright red.
 
Cousins
 
One thing that has changed is the size of the family. While its always been pretty big, many recent additions have made it even bigger. Its still a bit strange to think that several of the cousins I used to go out and get into trouble with are now settled, married, and have kids.
 
 
Church Tower
Courtyard Window
Family Shot

My brother, born on July 4th, got to celebrate his birthday with the family. We headed out to a nearby historic town full of rustic buildings and beautiful 16th century landmarks.

Mexican PrideTypical 13th

I can’t help but laugh at the photo above! So typical of 13-year-olds!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Mexico Vacation, Part 1: Cuernavaca

Leaves
 
Today was our first day back from a short Mexico vacation and I wish we could have stayed another week or year.
 
Us in Chapultepec
Under the Arch

Our first stop was in Cuernavaca, my dad’s hometown. It had been eight whole years since my last visit, but everything was just as beautiful as I remembered.

Yellow Flower
Growing on the Wall
Pink Flowers
 
Cuernavaca is a busy fast-paced town with a tropical climate. Beautiful foliage and wildlife gets mixed into every corner of the urban landscape, adorning each apartment tower, tall stone wall, and tile façade with bright greens, pinks, and yellows.
 
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Waterfall
 
My dad told us stories about Chapultepec, a huge park around the corner from my grandparents’ house. At its peak, the park even housed lions and other exotic animals. Strolling through it felt like being on safari in a very small, very tame rainforest.
Family

The best part of the trip was spending time with family I hadn’t seen in so long.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Photo of the Week

Fact: My husband has always been hot, but now that he rides a motorcycle he’s even hotter.
 
We’ve both gotten a lot of lectures and disapproving head shakes since we bought the bike a few months ago. The truth is, we needed extra transportation and couldn’t afford another car and all that gas. His bike has been the perfect solution and I’m at peace because I know he drives carefully and this bike isn’t really all that dangerous (it can’t even go past 75 mph and is pretty light). And he looks amazingly cool when he pulls into our driveway.
Motorcycle
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