An excellent and worthy woman

Last night I taught a lesson on Ruth for d-group.  I think it went moderately well.  I definitely think it could have been better.  But that's not my point.

This summer we're doing a series on being an excellent and worthy woman.  This is because I am not an excellent or worthy woman and want to be.  Hence, the study, and I'm bringing the girls along for the ride.  I wish there had been more time to talk more about personally relating to the things we learned about Ruth.  I don't want any of those girls coming away with the same thoughts that I did: I am soooo not Ruth.  I want them to walk away saying, "You know, Ruth didn't seem like the most likely candidate for God to use at first, but He's till using her today, and He can use me!"  But maybe you can't teach that if you haven't gotten it yourself.

Here's my thing: Ruth was dedicated, loyal, hard-working, generous, selfless, diligent, brave, and faithful, among other things.  I am about... maybe 1/4 of those.  Maybe.  Dedicated and loyal, that's me.  Tenacious, yes, some even say stubborn.  Hard-working?  I can be, but apparently not at the work I've currently been given: being a housewife (though I would like to think I am a hardworking mommy!).  I'm not brave; I have to recite the verses about not having a spirit of fear and intimidation often.  I am faithful, though the One I want to be most faithful to I have fall down for.  I'm not selfless; I have to work hard at that, and I often fail.  I have a list of people who like to tell me so.  I even have a list of things I've fallen down on just this week!  I'm not Ruth.

This is why I'm doing this series.  I want to be more like Ruth.  I want to be more like the Proverbs 31 Woman.  (I asked my husband this week if that woman every had sick days.  He thought so; I don't know if her family would have been fed if she'd had...)  I have so far to go.  And before you advise me to give myself a break, you have to understand: if I keep giving myself breaks, I will never improve.  I will just keep cutting myself slack and cutting myself slack and cutting myself slack... You get the picture.  I am not trying to be a Debbie-downer on myself.  I'm just taking stock and thinking, "God, we have some work to do."

We'll get it done.