A Ruby in the Rough

I wasn't sure what to post as a "first post" for this new blog. Since it is a brand new year (2013) and we as individuals are often making new choices and deciding which paths to take and setting new goals or making resolutions, I decided to talk about how God is working on me. In Proverbs 31 a superb and Godly woman is described as the "Virtuous woman" (this is someone who many woman hear preached and taught about alot and whom they want to strive to become like but often feel they will never measure up). In the passage the virtuous woman is described as someone who has a price far above rubies...because she is so rare! Welp, the title of this post explains the point of my post. I am a ruby in the rough. Someone who God is chiseling and chipping away at and polishes at times to smooth away rough areas and things that should not be a part of me so that I can shine when he is finished polishing. All this is done to ultimately bring glory to Him.

The reason we ladies often get upset at the preaching and teaching about this woman is because she is so perfect and does so much in every single day that when we mess up or don't do all she seems to accomplish in a day, or have a bad attitude or any other number of "failures" each day; we feel bad and convicted and we feel like less....less of a woman we are supposed to be. Ya know we ladies have that sort of "Wonder woman, wife, mom" competition going! :) While we love and applaud one another, often deep down in a secret part of our hearts we want to be the best or at least better than so and so is doing! Or at least we want others, especially our husbands and kids to think so. But we should not fear the Virtuous Woman in Proverbs. We should see her as a role model (and we all have those in our lives whom we'd like to be like), an example given by God to strive for as a lady. Now, as a Christian the goal is even higher than the virtuous woman, it is Jesus. We will never fully arrive at this one but until God calls us home to glory, we should keep on keepin on towards the mirrored image of Christ!

On the days when you don't feel you measure up, remember that God is still chiseling and polishing on His gem. A ruby is precious and rare and to become a useful gem in a ring, necklace or other piece of jewelry, it takes molding and shaping and polishing to be fit for the job. Just never stop allowing God to work on you and you will eventually shine for Him!