The Week in Words

 I'm participating in The Week in Words, hosted by Barbara of Stray Thoughts:

Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week  inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read.

 I have been reading and reading and reading some more the past two weeks. By far the most helpful book I've been reading, besides my Bible, is A Woman After God's Own Heart®by Elizabeth George. I believe that the Lord is using some of the things I'm learning from this book to change my heart, and by changing my heart, He is changing my actions. If you're a Christian woman and have not read this book, do yourself a favor and read it. At least check it out of the library. You need to read it!

I have a couple of quotes from A Woman After God's Own Heart this week. The first one deals with the second half of Proverbs 14:1 - "Every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands."

First, a woman can cause great damage actively -- by working destruction. What, for instance, does anger out of control do? It throws, it slams, it tears, and it rips. It also breaks things as well as rules. As if doing these destructive deeds weren't bad enough, anger out of control also speaks words that break, destroy, ruin, and kill . . . The second way to ruin a home is passive -- by simply failing to work. We can slowly erode the foundation of our home by our laziness, by simply "never getting around to it" (whatever "it" may be), by neglect, by forgetting to pay a bill . . . or two, by successfully putting things off, by not spending enough time at home. Then there's the problem of too much -- too much TV, too much reading, too much shopping, too much time with friends, too much time spent on the phone or internet. ~ Elizabeth George, A Woman After God's Own Heart, pages 160-161

How my heart sank as I read those words! I am guilty of much of that tearing down over the years, especially the "too much" part! But I'm thankful for the Lord's forgiveness and mercy, for His making straight my crooked paths. 

The remedy for tearing down your house? Read on . . .

Begin by making a positive decision (or by recommitting yourself) to do your work in the home "willingly" (Proverbs 31:13) and "heartily (Colossians 3:23). The attitude of your heart is key. And don't forget to make another decision. Decide to immediately stop any destructive habits that are pulling down and destroying the little bit of heaven you are trying to build for others . . . and to the glory of God. ~ Elizabeth George, A Woman After God's Own Heart, p. 163

 I've also been reading a secular book that has been interesting. It's the record of a woman who spent a year following the advice of Oprah Winfrey. It's definitely eye-opening! I don't have my thoughts together on that book yet, so I'll wait on the quotes until another time.