This goes for male and female alike. Uplifting others is a sure way to reveal your inner contentment. Unfortunately, I have seen this used in the opposite light…
Sometimes we uplift others in an attempt to gain praise for ourselves. This ought not to be so. God calls believers to encourage each other in honesty and with sincerity, not to get something out of our compliments to others.
I’ve noticed that those ladies who are most beautiful and distinguished, having just the right motion in their step and season to their words, do not possess these qualities simply by “acting” as if they care about others. They are so admired because they actually do care!
The devil knows just how powerful believers become when they praise one another with generous hearts, without feeling inferior or jealous in the process. A true lady knows that it is an honor to encourage, not a burden.
…”Encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls…”
1 Thessalonians 5:14a
“He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness.” Romans 12:8
#5 A lady always plans ahead.
“But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion.” 1 Corinthians 14:40
Do you know that lady?… The one who is perfectly put together even after making lunches for her family, dropping off her three boys at soccer, ironing her husbands clothes, dusting the house, and finishing up that mural she’s been painting for weeks?
She cleans in the kitchen, swaying to Frank Sinatra in her Italian apron and Jimmy Choos, has guests for lunch, and is in ship shape condition before escorting the whole family to Wednesday night Prayer.
She is that person you say you admire, but whom you secretly believe escaped from an alien planet and is now on earth making all other “mortal” women look really really bad at life.
Well, believe it or not, there is a secret behind getting tasks completed with grace and style… And it involves planning!
This may be difficult for those “absent minded professors” who lose their keys every morning, but I believe if you want to be a lady, a spirit of organization is of utmost importance!
Ironically, I am naturally an artsy, day-dreaming kind of girl. I’d be absolutely ecstatic to live on the beach playing my guitar both day and night …
However, I have been raised in a disciplined home where I’ve learned how to not only make a schedule, but have fun sticking to it! Today, list-making is a hobby of mine. I am a complete nerd when it comes to beginning a project on a dry erase board, it thrills me! Don’t judge, just think about it…
Does the put-together lady you admire most run around stressed, wearing sweat pants to little Billy’s school because she forgot to make him lunch, not remembering she has a date with a girlfriend at noon, in the midst of striving to keep the house semi-decent?… Of course not!
This is not an example of a lady, but of a woman who has not yet gotten the the memo, that organization saves her precious time and energy!
Now, now…this is not to say that there will not be days when you simply cannot finish your “to-do list” due to life’s unknown occurrences or that you will never forget an appointment with a friend…
The fact is… when you are asked to think about what a “lady” is, you will probably lean more towards that elegant Grace Kelly type or someone who at very least seems to have her life in some semblance of order.
The reason I look up to my Mom is because she is very rarely caught by surprise, about finances, work decisions, or what to do in crisis situations…etc. She keeps calm because she trusts the Lord…. AND has organized her life in such a way that she is not anxious and worried when the car tire blows!
A true lady never needs to freak out about the unknown, because she has done all she can to prepare her family for what may come next.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!” Proverbs 31:25
Can I get an AMEN?!
#6 A lady is always positive… Always.
I have a quirk. Something that I have never been able to stand, is being in the presence of an ungrateful person…for very long. It bothers me immensely, especially when that person is trying to get me to agree with their dissatisfaction.
Something I have grown to understand, is that a lady (no matter how uncomfortable she may be) never makes “mr. grumpy pants” witness her discomfort. She simply looks down politely to show her disagreement and says something positive to turn the conversation around.
There is ALWAYS something positive to be said, even in the worst of social situations!
A lady knows what that positive word is, says it at the right time, and completely shifts the negativity to praise! She is noble in character, making a way for God’s goodness to be illustrated in the presence of confusion and criticism.
“Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone…” Colossians 4:6
“Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or WORTHLESS talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.” Ephesians 4:29
I hope you are enjoying these little tidbits of female insight! Make sure to keep a look out for Part lll of How to be a Lady!
Catch the Wave,
Victoria
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