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When Gandhi meet the queen of England, she was appalled by his attire or lack there of and he only replied, “you are wearing enough clothes for the both of us.”

There’s always been a struggle of materialism in fashion. The whole industry is about displaying your possessions, wanting more, better, showing off. But we shouldn’t want so much—it’s too Randian of us to think that our individualism is so important that style should be anything but a luxury.

I too have grown complacent with the materialism and forgotten that fashion designers are simply artists and there’s no rule that says we need to represent the glamour of rich and fame or that you are any less of a person for dressing ordinarily. It’s time to take a step back.

From the archives— This post continues to spark many conversations and be an abiding encouragement and motivation for me. 

The Lord finds you precious and loves cultivating you into a woman of honor, full of joy and faithfulness. Celebrate and live in this truth today!

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Sweet angels, read and rejoice that this woman dwells inside of you and He delights in bringing your loveliness out.

Proverbs 31 (as translated by Pat Wright)

Can you find a good woman? Where is she and who knows how to get there?

A good woman is worth her weight in stars, smiles, and sparkly things.

I’m talking about the kind of woman a man can trust with all his stuff, even the stuff he borrowed from his parents, his ex-girlfriend, and his football coach freshman year. He can hand her the wallet and his keys, its ok.

She brings him goodness and peace, not worry and heartache. She is a creative woman, a thread and needle are her pleasure. You can find her by the fire most nights, creating and crafting.

Her fingers move as swift as his heart when he sees her.

She is the ultimate shopper, a discount bargain hunter. She clips the coupons, gets up early for the sale.

Her kitchen is filled with herbs and spices and all the love and care a good meal needs to make you fat and full. Her family does not got hungry, she feeds them well, and there is always more than enough for a friend, a stranger, or even the nosy neighbor.

She is a competent woman in all areas. Her house is not her only expertise. She can move in the marketplace, she is a businessperson. She sees a good buy and she makes a wise decision. She works hard, she loves harder. She carries hugs and smiles for anyone she meets, even the beggar on the street.

This kind of woman gives, it’s one of the only mottos she holds to. 

She clothes her family well. If she cannot find it, she makes it. Not because she has to, because she loves to. She’s a thrifter, the thrill of redeeming what has been thrown away rings purpose to her soul.

But she wears more than fashion, dignity is her shawl, wisdom is her favorite shoe. Strength hold backs her wily cowlick, laughter hangs around her neck.

She finds gossip to have a bitter taste and has better use of her time.

Truth and grace are her perfume, she always smells like beauty. She knows her household well. She rests in timeless words spoken from before there was time.

And because of this, her husband is well respected everywhere he goes. And he does not take this woman for granted or dare treat her with complacency.

At every chance he gets, he sings her name for merely speaking it loses the poetry of her essence.

He praises her in every arena, her children echo his heartsong.

“They are many decent girls, but you my dear, took even the angels by surprise.”

A coy smile from full lips will one day turn into a frown from curled ones. Charm and beauty are but the tendrils of a scented pipe, here and gone in a single breath. But a woman who’s founded in the truth of the everlasting, she is to be cherished with fervor. 

Tell her so. 

Proverbs 31:10-31