Years ago the song “Three Times A Lady” was written and sung by Lionel Richie and it became an immediate hit! He shared that not only was his “lady” special, but she was a triple special lady. She apparently was quite a lady. It’s always amazing to me how one person can affect another, and then another. That’s the kind of person my wife Andra is and the affect she had on our daughters made her “three times a lady!” Andra is the type of person to always give her best when doing something to the point of “covering all bases.” When we leave the house she wants everything put up in it’s place (in case somebody comes unannounced) and everything clean and complete. She is the consumate housekeeper and cook and is a great example of what it means to “develop a home” from a house. But as good as she is in all of that, she is even better in covering every base when it comes to raising her “girls.” Our two girls have grown into beautiful young ladies who love their Lord and honor their husbands. They set the bar high in their homes by their Godly examples and desire to be virtuous women of the faith. As we have seen them grow from girls to ladies it further emphasizes the need for mothers to not only “tell” their daughters what is right, but “show” them what is right through example. That example is not something that comes natural like we might think from any woman. It comes from a woman who knows and loves God with a pure heart and a willing spirit. For years we have minimized the role of a Godly woman by slamming God’s example and replacing it with a worldly version. Why? Because too many don’t believe they can live up to it and thus try to water it down. When in reality we must have more women tapping into the power God gives to each woman when they know Him, truly know Him.. Proverbs 11:16 says, “A gracious woman attains honor” and in that honor a ripple effect takes place in the legacy of our life. A ripple that starts in the changed heart of a believer is a ripple that affects an increasing amount of those who experience it. As that ripple continues to spread it starts showing itself in others through time, and that influences generations. God did a good thing when He created woman and the ongoing affect of women who follow God will mold us into better people who in turn share that goodness with others. That’s why we should always cherish womanhood from a Godly perspective. To cheapen who a woman is means to cheapen the gift of womanhood God gave from the beginning. To honor womanhood means to further the legacy God set in place. As our roles are attacked again and again by those who just don’t understand, may it be our heart’s desire to lift up and honor women…..mothers……role models who live a life of grace before their husbands, their children, and the world.
I look at our two daughters and see my sweet Andra in both of them, but I also see someone else. Someone Andra can never be in their lives. I see God! The girls saw it first in their mother and from her example and God’s Word they learned it was right for them….it was their best choice and they took it. So when I look at Andra and Natalie and Jessica, I see not once, not twice, but three times a lady. A mother passing down a love for God to her girls who will pass it on to their’s. One Andra, now three times a lady. As I look at their children I will look for some of them and a lot of God and all will right. Now they can have many more times the effect on their children, and their world. Special ladies with special roles, lived out for God. Who would ever want less? I love you girls. The pic above shows how quickly they grow up and then make their own way. School is in session. What are you teaching?
The Pilgrimage continues…..
David Warren