Adventure Awaits!

 

I will keep posting on here as much as I can, but it might be a little bit as I am moving to China today. 😀Thank you for following. May God continue to bless and encourage your heart. 💖Remember that little is much when God is in it. 

Proverbs 31

 Proverbs 31 is such an interesting chapter. Many focus on verses 10-31 in which we are introduced to the woman of valor. Before we get there though, let's see what verses 1-9 teach us. It's instruction from a mother to her son who's in a place of power. He's a king. She advises him to do 3 things: 

~ avoid destructive indulgence (vs. 3 "Give not thy strength unto women...")

 ~ avoid drunkenness (vs. 4-7 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgement of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.") 

Kings need clarity and focus.

~ defend the voiceless and uphold justice (vs. 8-9 "Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." 

Then it transitions into talking about this woman of valor who embodies the wisdom 

 Lemuel needed to learn. This woman models what strong leadership looks like. (And don't you just love that God used a woman to show this? 😊)

 "Virtuous" means strength, ability, moral courage. This is the opposite of passive and decorative. It's active and powerful in influence and example. Maybe Lemuel's mother contrasts the women in vs. 3 who would tempt him with this virtuous woman who she describes as a woman of substance and strength. 

In vs. 8-9 Lemuel is told to use his voice for others, and the virtuous woman demonstrates this by using her influence in business, the household, community, and in relationships for good. Influence always doesn't come from a throne - sometimes it comes from a home -- or a workplace, wherever you find your sphere of influence. 

Now we come to vs. 10-31. 

This is not a to-do list for Christian women to measure themselves by, a weapon for legalism or pressure, or a statement that every woman must marry, have kids, or be domestic to be valuable. (In fact, I see this as abusing Scripture because certain verses are taken out of context to "prove" this view, but every woman will clearly not get married.)

Instead, it shows us wisdom and godliness, needed by both women and men. The qualities this chapter praises - wisdom, faithfulness, diligence, generosity, stewardship, fear of the Lord, compassion - are virtues for all believers. 

This passage honors a woman who uses what she has - skills, time, strength - for God's glory and others' good. Christian women express this virtuous life in business, ministry, parenting, singleness, education, the arts, caregiving, entrepreneurship, etc. All these things happen over a lifetime - not in one day. 

Furthermore, this passage reframes identity. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." God doesn't praise the outward - he honors the heart that reveres him. In a society that pressures and stereotypes women like nothing else, this is incredibly freeing. We should reject the shallow cultural standards and esteem women (and men) for faith, integrity, and love. Women should be honored and affirmed in their work, but instead most of the time they're put down, pressured, and seen as second rate. Yet society still holds them to a high standard while turning a blind eye to men. If women are expected to have these traits, men absolutely should be held to the same. If not, this is a disgusting double standard. A heart that fears the Lord is much more valuable than the shade of someone's skin color or how "beautiful" a person is compared to someone else. More time needs to be spent making the heart right than worrying about covering up blemishes on a face or "appearing" right to others.

In Bible times culture, men degraded women, used, abused, rated them as second-class, and viewed them as evil because of Eve's sin in the garden. Sadly and unfortunately, those same traits are widespread today. Even though women have the same rights of men [in America], they're still degraded, put-down, stepped on, and rated lower than men. Society bases a women's value on marriage/family. However, the traits displayed by the woman of valor apply to a married woman, single woman, married man, or single man. 

The woman of valor's internal strength gives her confidence in the future. "Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come." (vs. 25) She doesn't live in fear, even in uncertain times. Friend, your strength comes from God and your walk with him - not from social approval, not from outer beauty, not from social media, not from your performance to others. Reverence for God shapes your life. Someone who is worthy of praise has a heart oriented toward God. 

Next time you hear a preacher or anyone use this chapter out of context to support the idea that a woman's goal in life is marriage, taking care of a home, and achieving all the things that are displayed in the chapter, remember that this is a portrait of noble character. And holiness is not gendered. God commands all Christians to be holy. Your life, whether you work as a king (like Lemuel), businesswoman/man, entrepreneur, wife, mom, blue collar worker, teacher, missionary, government employee, can radiate influence, power, kindness, and eternal value when lived in the fear of God. 

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written: Be ye holy, for I am holy.

~ 1 Peter 1:15-16

A Weekend Visit with the Bestie

 Lauren and I are sisters by chance, but friends by choice, and we are besties. I know people love to throw around this word bestie, and some people say they have a bunch. We have only one best friend in this whole world, and it's each other. As she said, this was a short trip, but full of the moments you carry forever. We engaged in deep conversations and laughed until our stomachs hurt. We're not twins, but might as well be because we think almost the exact same on every topic possible.

Thursday (8/7) we ate delicious food at our favorite international market.

Being with her means we try new random things. These are Chinese custard buns.😄

Friday we visited Fort Caroline and Kingsley Plantation. Fort Caroline was a 16th-century French colonial settlement. It was established in 1564 by French Huguenots under leadership of Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere. It served as a refuge for French Protestants fleeing religious persecution and a foothold for France in the new world.

That log in the picture below was used for a canoe.

The fort

This exhibit symbolizes the French Colonist's quest for religious freedom and a desire to improve their lives. 

We walked a trail through the woods and mosquitoes at the fort, then drove on to Kingsley plantation.

Before the 1800s, blue dye came from the indigo plant. It grows between 4-6 ft. high and it was grown on this plantation between the 1760s and 1780s during the British period. The greatest toll of growing indigo was on enslaved people. The heat, smell, and insects were terrible, not to mention the exposure to the chemicals on the skin and in lungs was deadly over time. 

Click on the photos to make them larger to read them.

The walls and floor in this room are made of tabby, an oyster shell concrete. Tabby is fire resistant and durable. It's ideal for a heavily used area and it holds temperature well. 

The second floor is where the masters would've stayed.

Fascinating to read about Anna Kingsley's history as a slave and slave owner. 

Africans were forced to migrate to the plantations of the American South to do the labor that drove the Atlantic world economy. Commerce in North American and Europe depended on a triangular trade of goods that included human trafficking of slaves. 

While Florida was under Spanish rule, free blacks were regarded as citizens and had privileges. When Fl. became a territory, new laws discriminated against black people, both free and enslaved. Legal discrimination continued in various forms from the plantation era through mid 1900s. 

No. 3 was an act to amend the act entitled "An act concerning marriage license." It said "that all white male persons, resident within this territory who shall attempt to intermarry or who shall live in a state of adultery or fornication with a negro, mulatto, quarteroon, or other female, shall be liable to indictment."

Freedom is easy to take for granted - until it's lost. Once lost, it's also easy to define what is missing. Slavery is the ultimate loss of all freedoms - rights, choices, and control. 

Acts of 1840 include laws prohibiting selling firearms to blacks.

Acts of 1828 include prohibiting free blacks from moving into the Fl. territory.

Acts of 1832 include outlawing of interracial marriage, punishment increased for crimes and misdemeanors, and new tax put on freed slaves.

Acts of 1826-27 include punishment for blacks using abusive language.

Imagine looking out at these windows at slaves working. 😥Reading all these signs shows me a bunch of hypocrisy in the white people during this time. Punishment for sins such as bad language for the black people but not for the whites? That's disgusting. Also the ban on interracial marriage is abominable. Visiting this plantation makes me angry at this sin and injustice of slavery. It's the saddest thing. 

Lauren in her natural element reading signs. 😂Just kidding. That's my natural element. I made her read them because we can't visit such a place and miss all the history. lol

Planter John McQueen built the original portion of the house with the use of enslaved craftsmen and laborers. It was designed to catch the ocean breezes for the comfort of the owner's family. 

A dock used to bustle with activity here during the plantation era. Cotton bales were sent to market, and slaves and finished goods were brought here by boat. Most plantations were located along inland waterways because the easiest access to the Atlantic Ocean was through coastal ports. Planters used smaller boats on inland waterways to transfer supplies and human cargo to Fort George Island.

Sample quilt

Then of course we had to eat Chashu buns and drink milk tea while watching a C-drama at our favorite restaurant. At this point, it's a traditional habit. 😂

And of course we always have to hang out with our dear sister Jan. 

This was a very bittersweet time because new changes are coming. I know many adults don't have a best friend, but I'm super thankful I do. 😊