A Virtuous Woman: Faith

 For the past eight months I have strived to be someone that my parents, especially my mom, can be proud of. My parents worked hard to make sure that their kid wasn't completely messed up and that has got to be hard. My mom has always stressed the importance of being a Godly woman, strong in the Lord. I have to admit, at a public university that's 500 miles away from the people who were watching me, it's a struggle. It's a struggle every single day to make choices that my parents would be proud of. Let's be honest, no one in college is perfect. No one makes the right choice 100% of the time. So I no longer think "Would my parents be proud of me?" but I now think "Would God be proud of me?". Some of you might think that it's a little extreme, but I am striving to be a virtuous woman, a Proverbs 31 woman.
 If you haven't read Proverbs 31, I highly suggest that you read it. It might be a little off-putting because I know that in my Bible it says "A Wife of Noble Character" above the passage and a lot of people aren't necessarily worried about or even considering marriage at this point in their life. Ignore that. I use this passage to encourage myself to serve God in every aspect of my life. This passage reminds me to live a life with purpose, forgiveness, diligence, and repentance. It touches on the the areas of faith, marriage, mothering, health, service, finances, work, time, home-making, and beauty. While marriage, mothering, and home-making clearly don't currently apply to me, I choose to use those as guides for the future but mainly focus on the other parts.
 Today I read Proverbs 31 and this really stuck out to me: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." So, I just sat for a good three hours thinking ( ok, Facebook, Twitter, and shopping too) and I realized that I need to seek God's will and follow His ways. This means that I need to seek God's will about all things and not to stress. Stress and anxiety are prominent in the life of a college student, especially now since finals are coming up. But starting today, I am redefining my life. I am taking this passage and applying it to every area. It will be a struggle, but I'm going to take ten weeks and meditate on this passage, focusing on one of the ten areas each week. I'm praying that God will bless me from the inside to the outside. I am expecting will change my perspective and actions to continuously serve Him and become the Proverbs 31 Woman that I aspire to be.