Valiant!

Valiant!  That's the word i often heard God speak to me, "Be valiant He said".  In my mind i would think; what are you talking about?  i can often get so weak.  So many times i start something with you God and more often than not i don't complete my tasks.  What does  it really mean to be valiant, does it mean that we are fearless?  After all valiant means to be brave and boldly courageous.  After spending some time thinking about what God was trying to speak to me about the word boldly courageous came to my mind.  Let us face it we can't be boldly courageous unless we are being conflicted or confronted.  If you are like me there is always something confronting you, trying to shake your faith and your joy. 
When you think of women of faith in the Bible you think of those women like, Deborah, Abigail and Esther who were so valiant to overcome such great obstacles.  So when i compared myself to them i only see their strengths and find myself unsuitable to be placed in the same category as being also a woman of faith.  But what does it mean to be a woman of God?  It's meaning is in found in Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised". 
A woman of God is a woman that fears God and lives her life trying to abide in His righteousness.  It doesn't mean that we will never be afraid or that we will always do what is right, but it's true definition is a woman who fears God enough to always try to do everything that she knows will please God even if it displeases those people around her.  It means that she might not be perfect but she is made perfect in Him through her faith. 
I tried for so many years to be a person that wouldn't allow anything to bring me down and when something would happen that would sadden me i would become angry at myself for not feeling as strong as i thought i should be.  Then i started to have a bit more of common sense and realized that if God was going to be my all than i would need to go to Him when i was feeling down because He delights in those that seek His comfort. 
Most women that i know get frustrated because they are always trying to do everything perfect.  They want to have the perfectly clean home, the most well behaved children, they want to be praised by their spouses and if most are honest enough to even admit this they also want people to praise them for their achievements.  It's great to have goals but we need to have more realistic goals. 
1st- if you have children your house will never be perfectly cleaned, in my house you will always find a toy somewhere
2nd- well behaved children?  My children behave well most of times but like adults they also have their off days
3rd- praised by our spouses???  Yes, praise does come every now and then but more often than not you will hear, why haven't you washed my favorite pants?  Why are we eating this if you know i don't like chicken?  and so much more...
4th- praised by others!  Are you serious??? Most people can see something so wrong with you just as quickly as they can see something good in you.  Even in church, you will have people comment why aren't you dressed up or why do you wear different clothes all the time, or your nails or your hair...

So reality is we will never make everyone happy around us so to try to do everything perfect is certainly a recipe for frustration.  Let us just take one day at a time and let God do for us what sometimes we aren't capable of doing for ourselves and face each day valiantly knowing that God is doing a new thing in us always!  Be blessed!