My Dad and I have not always had the best relationship.Things have been very rough between us over the years, as the Lord was working on him in some major areas of his life, and things were very complicated and oftentimes grievous. And at the same time, He was working on me, in areas of submission, respect for authority (whether the authority figure is always right, or not), unconditional love, and developing in me a servant's heart (and believe me, He's still working on me in each of these areas! :). My Dad and I are a lot alike -- and that is part of what has made things hard over the years!
But the Lord, always faithful!, has been working overtime on each one of us :), particularly in this last year and a half. And one of the many things He's been doing is cultivating my Dad and my relationship into something beautiful -- slowly, but surely. And we're not anywhere near arrived yet, but are confident that the Lord will keep His promise to us, to complete the good work He has begun! Thank you, Jesus! :)
But at any rate, as our relationship continues to heal, even through a lot of rocky stretches, we become closer and get to know each other better. A young lady's relationship with her parents, especially with her Dad, is so extremely important -- it's critical to her view of God, and other men. And it's detrimental to her emotional and spiritual well-being when her relationship with her father is in shambles, as mine was for so long. And I am so thankful to the Lord for His tender love and care to me, even when I rejected Him for a time, while all this junk was going on!
I experience new things all the time -- things to rejoice about, as a precious relationship is restored and renewed! Just this morning, Daddy and I started a Bible study together -- an important one, a special one. I told Daddy that I was wanting to, over time, go through the entire Bible (one book at a time, though not in any certain order) and take note of and write down the traits of a Godly woman. He thought that was a great idea! :) I asked him if he'd want to do it with me, and he was all for it -- and suggested that as we go through it, he would write down things that he observed as traits of a Godly man. This is a special blessing to me, and I treasure this study very much!
I was thinking of sharing these special observations with my blog readers as well! Would anybody be interested in keeping up with this?? :)
This morning we started with Ephesians chapter one, and it's amazing, and wonderful, how much we came up with in just the first chapter of Ephesians!
A Godly Woman (and most apply to a Godly Man as well :)...
- is faithful in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:1)
- wishes grace and peace on her brothers and sisters in Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)
- praises God the Father. (Ephesians 1:3)
- recognizes and lives in the fact that she has been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
- was chosen in Him to be holy and blameless in His sight before the creation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)
- is redeemed and forgiven of her sins because of God's grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
- has been chosen and predestined according to God's perfect plan. (Ephesians 1:11)
- is marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)
- is God's posession. (Ephesians 1:14)
- has faith in the Lord Jesus, and love for all the saints. (Ephesians 1:15)
- gives thanks for her brothers and sisters in Christ, and remembers them in her prayers. (Ephesians 1:16)
- is persistent in asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give her brothers and sisters the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that they may know Him better. (Ephesians 1:17)
- understands the hope to which He has called her, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19)
- knows the resurrection power is at work in her life. (Ephesians 1:20)
Amen! Thank you, Jesus!
