Lately I've been doing a lot of reading on marriage and womanhood, anticipating next summer when I will enter my greatest ministry: my role as a wife. The Lord has been so faithful to reveal such neat bits of wisdom and advice at the perfect times in the tiniest doses (just how I need it!). One way He's been revealing to me is through a book that Scott and I are reading individually and its corresponding workbooks that we are working through and discussing together - Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. Wow... more on that at a later date. Shortly after finding the book, I stumbled across some of Carolyn Mahaney's articles via GirlTalk. I am particularly interested in what she has to say about "the highly effective woman" and have been reading the descriptions and lists nearly every day and praying through them. To start, she reminds us of the source without whom effectiveness or existence would be impossible. We must remember: the source of our justification, the source of our ability, and the source of our motivation. In other words, nothing I do on my own will ever be effective or earn the grace of Jesus Christ. Second, Jesus says that without Him I can do nothing--and I've certainly seen that first-hand ("That is best which is least our own doing." -Dr. Jerry Bridges). Finally, while the habits correlating with a woman's effectiveness certainly benefit her and her family in many tangible ways, my motivation must be first concerned with the glory of God and the furthering of His Kingdom. That's what I'm chewing on.... I want to meditate on my motivations and the Source of all these possibilities before even attempting to digest the habits of an effective woman. Soon enough...
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