Earlier that week, I spotted a blogger on pinterest who claimed she had an "easy diy maxi skirt pattern that anyone could complete." I immediately thought, that since I saw it on pinterest, I could do it. My mom suggested we get a pattern at the fabric store, however, I remained stubborn and insisted that following the pinterest blog would go off without a hitch. Pinterest said I could be an insta-seamstress. I believed it.
After we purchased the fabric and began to look at the instructions, we quickly realized the blogger's descriptions were very vague and not nearly wordy enough.
My mom and I decided that it was good that neither of us are inclined to use foul language or we would have had a reenactment of A Christmas Story's Mr, Parker's verbal and physical fight with a hot water heater right there in my living room. Except ours would have involved sewing pins, scissors and a measuring tape. The end result wouldn't have been pretty.
Long story short, I should have heeded my mom's advice and purchased a pattern. The skirt was finished that day, but with much more time and frustration than necessary.
Beware of the pinterest DIY blog.
In Pride and Prejudice, when describing the attributes of an accomplished woman, Ms. Bingly states, "no [woman] can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved."
It seems to me the modern description would add to the quote above by asserting that a woman must have perfect hair, a perfect body, the ability to form anything out of burlap, sew, paint, run 6.5 miles a day, make meals that not only taste good but look mouthwatering in three shades of instagram filters, stay up to date in the current season's fashions, keep a perfectly decorated home that rivals any pin on the home section of pinterest, never get angry, and be a quintessential combination of Martha Stewart and Jillian Michaels in order to be a woman of worth.
In the world we live in, comparison tells us we aren't enough. "She" is better than I am. I could never measure up to the woman she is. Comparison says we are a failure if we can't do it all. Comparison sees a beautiful, sweet woman as a threat instead of as a sister in Christ to encourage. Comparison sees the good traits in another and turns a blind eye to the unique traits God has given us. Comparison says they have it all and we somehow missed out.
no
one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass
what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve
the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in
her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and
expressions, or the word will be but half deserved - See more at:
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-accomplished-woman/#sthash.6EmVLvmX.dpuf
no
one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass
what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve
the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in
her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and
expressions, or the word will be but half deserved - See more at:
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-accomplished-woman/#sthash.6EmVLvmX.dpuf
no
one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass
what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve
the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in
her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and
expressions, or the word will be but half deserved - See more at:
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-accomplished-woman/#sthash.6EmVLvmX.dpuf
no
one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass
what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve
the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in
her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and
expressions, or the word will be but half deserved - See more at:
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-accomplished-woman/#sthash.6EmVLvmX.dpuf
Am I the only one fighting this battle? I ran across an image in my internet scouring the other day that said this - "Whatever is good for the soul. Do that."
Good for the soul.
I can think of a few things that come to mind that I know immediately are good for my soul. Volcano scented candles, worn book pages, hand written mail, fresh flowers, sharing stories, laughter, quality time with people I love, mixing dough, and piping frosting to name a few. You probably have your own list too. Just think what you would insert into Julie Andrew's rendition of "My Favorite Things" (name that movie). Candles and conversation don't flow nearly as well as bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, so I'll keep my list in text form and leave the singing to Ms. Andrews.
However, I can also think of several things that are not good for my soul. For example, sewing with no pattern, playing any aggressive sport, mathematical problems, marathon running, body pumping (is that what they call it?), up-do's, drawing anything other than a flower, and public speaking to name a few.
What is good for your soul, probably isn't an exact replica of what is good for mine. We need to stop telling ourselves that this is a negative.
Comparison is a nasty companion. Too often we forget that comparison comes from the enemy, not from our Creator. The enemy tries to feed us lies about what a woman should be, whether that is through social media feeds, the media, or even through looking at the lives of other women around us. If we let the enemy and comparison define what it means to be a woman of worth, we will be left feeling defeated, unworthy and subpar. Our value and worth should come from the source of our being, the Creator of the Universe. Turns out, He has more than a few things to say about what true worth looks like.
Psalm 139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
This is a dialogue I have had with several of my girlfriends over the past few months. It seems the enemy has found a note that strikes a chord with more than one of us. We are all a part of the body of Christ and have the opportunity to encourage and support eachother in our differences. As believers, we are all working together for the glory of God. All of our differences give us the opportunity to make a bigger impact all together. The enemy doesn't want us to see that. He wants our unique traits to create division and envy, not unity.
Whatever is good for the soul. Do that.
Perhaps celebrating and encouraging the good that comes from the souls around us is the remedy we have been looking for. I love the part of Hebrews 10:24-25 that talks about encouragement.
God made each of us intentionally...perfectly. Unlike the blogger I chose to blindly follow from pinterest, God doesn't make any mistakes. The enemy says you are not enough. God says you are wonderfully made. The enemy says you have to be everything. God says we don't have to be everything because He is our everything.
He has a plan and purpose for each person He created. He created me exactly the way he wanted to...unique likes, dislikes, quirks, looks, personality, and passions, all carefully crafted so I can live out the plan God created for me. You, too.
