Longing to be like "Everyone Else"?

"All things are lawful for me,

but all things are not expedient:

all things are lawful for me,

but all things edify not."

~ 1 Corinthians 10:23

There are moments in our Christian walk where we feel isolated. We must pass on going to certain events that "everyone else" is attending. We are compelled to exclude ourselves from different places, activities, clothing and media. It happens when we believe (through our actions) the inspired words of the Scriptures and "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).

However, loneliness can creep in… The crowds can be captivating. It can all look so easy, so carefree and without worries… It can be tempting to dive in and join in the frolic. To be like "everyone else" without the constant concerns…

Dear sisters, in these moments of weakness, let us learn from the past...

"Everyone else" drowned  in the flood... Genesis 7:23

"Everyone else" was destroyed in Sodom & Gomorrah... Genesis 19:24

"Everyone else" shouted, "Crucify him, crucify him." Luke 23:21

Oh mothers and maidens, may we never be like "everyone else"... 2 Thessalonians 1:8

"Everyone else" may continue to do ,"Everything else" that we choose not to...

But as for us, we are SOMEONE ELSE...

"...ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light..."

~ 1 Peter 2:9

With love, JES

This post may be shared with some or all of the following lovely link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you, dear ladies, for hosting these!

A Beauty Tip

William Paxton (1869-1941) - Girl combing her hair before the mirror.

"She looked at herself in the glass with some anxiety, for the first time in her life. She saw a slight, lean figure, promising to be tall; a complexion browner than cream-coloured, although in a year or two it might have that tint; plentiful curly black hair, tied up in a bunch behind with a rose- coloured ribbon; long, almond-shaped, soft grey eyes, shaded both above and below by curling black eye-lashes.

‘I don’t think I am pretty,’ thought Molly, as she turned away from the glass; ‘and yet I am not sure.’ She would have been sure, if, instead of inspecting herself with such solemnity, she had smiled her own sweet merry smile, and called out the gleam of her teeth, and the charm of her dimples."

~ Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance..."

~ Proverbs 15:13a

This post may be shared with some or all of the following lovely link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you, dear ladies, for hosting these!

Autumn Leaves ~ Creating Compost

Autumn Leaves by John Everett Millais

“It is not everyone,' said Elinor,

'who has your passion for dead leaves.”

~ Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

Don't the maidens look lovely in their modest apparel? Aren't the colors brilliant in this painting? I love those burnt siennas, deep oranges and rustic browns all blended together in a heap of autumn beauty. John Everett Millais, the man who painted this picture was given a place at the Royal Academy school at the unprecedented age of 11 years old! You could see why! (View the bottom of this post for more paintings by this talented, Victorian Era artist.)

Question for Mothers and Maidens:

• What do you think they are doing with the leaves? (Let's pretend they are making compost!)

Autumn Activity:

This autumn, why not prepare a batch of compost? Compost is simply free fertilizer or soil amendment for all your planting projects. Gather up the fallen leaves in your yard and place in a pile, add raw scraps from the kitchen and grass clippings (organic matter in general). You may want to place a cover on the pile (like a burlap sack) and stir every once in a while with a pitchfork or shovel. Spray the pile with water on occasion to keep it damp. Soon, you will be pleased to have a nice and rich substance resembling soil in which to indulge your garden this spring without having to invest in garden additives. For more information: visit Making Compost ~ The Basics.

"She considereth a field, and buyeth it:

with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard."

~ Proverbs 31:16

Other paintings shared here featuring the artist, John Everett Millais:

A Beauty (A Desire to Be Beautiful)

Return of the Dove to the Ark (Waiting for Ham, Shem, Japheth)

Huguenot Couple on St. Bartholomew's Day (Remembering Ribbons Series: Reformation)

Sisters (Purity is Precious: A Collection of Quotes)

This post may be shared with some or all of the following lovely link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you, dear ladies, for hosting these!

Good Company/Against Gossip

The Gossips by Daniel Ridgway Knight

“My idea of good company… is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation;
that is what I call good company.'

'You are mistaken,' said he gently,
that is not good company, that is the best.”

~ Jane Austen, Persuasion

Ah... good company, nothing is like it! The biblical term for this pleasure would be "fellowship" and it is something we are all encouraged to participate in. However, there is a danger in certain types of fellowship for it can foster poor conversation and our words which are so easily said, hold a lot of weight in our Creator's eyes.

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."~ Matthew 12:36-37

Such sobering words! What is a daughter of the King to do? Please continue reading at Deep Roots at Home where I am guest posting today…

This post may be shared with some or all of the following lovely link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you, dear ladies, for hosting these!