Staying Positive, Staying Virtuous

When I was growing up, I had the privilege of being raised in the knowledge of God. Like many of you, my parents always took my sister and me to church, but sometimes growing up in the church, sitting on those hard wooden pews, I didn’t always understand what the minister was talking about from the pulpit. This was especially true about the whole concept of being a “virtuous woman.” To me, it was a catch phrase that I often heard during Tuesday-night Bible study, Women’s Day, once a year on Mother’s Day, and even in the title of many books and women’s conferences. Even still, I never really knew what it meant to be virtuous. To me, virtue was only an old-school word that people used in the Bible. What did virtue have to do with me being a young woman today?

A Virtuous History
The words “virtue” and “virtuous,” are mentioned in the Bible about five times, and only two of those times, is the word “virtuous” used to describe a woman. It is found once in the book of Ruth, and once in the famous Proverbs 31 passage. During Medieval times, virtue was actually a word meant for men, especially those who battled in war. It was a word used to show that a man was courageous, fearless, and triumphant.

In the Bible, the word is used to describe both men and women who have good moral character. And that simply, is what virtue is: being a person of integrity; one who is honorable, righteous and most important, a person who is beautiful on the inside. And for women, both old and young alike, this means that even though our outsides may be beautiful, dressed up with shiny lip gloss, silver hoop earrings, and the new Baby Phat jeans, virtuous women are also beautiful on the inside.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)

Beautiful Inside and Out
All those things you can do to your outside appearance are only skin deep, and unfortunately, the way you look can always change. Through time you will age, you may blemish and you can lose and gain weight, but inner beauty is a quality that can remain constant as long as you strive to be a better person every day. Being a virtuous woman means that even though you may not always be able to have the best clothes, the most perfect hair, and flawless skin, the one thing that should never change about you is your good character, your virtue.

In the book of Proverbs it says that a virtuous woman is much more valuable than rubies! Virtuous women are rare treasures. Many people today are famous because of the dirt they’ve done in their lives. They are infamous—famous for doing bad things. However, the virtuous women mentioned in the Bible were known throughout their cities because of their good characters. Their inner beauty was evident to all who knew them. They were literally famous for doing good!

“Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are an honorable woman." (Ruth 3:11)

The world tells women to be “drama queens,” but a virtuous woman is a peacemaker. The world tells women that it’s all about me, me, and me, and about what I can get, but a virtuous woman would rather give than receive. The world tells us that anything goes, but a virtuous woman is known for doing the right thing, even though others may not.

Begin to embrace what it truly means to be a virtuous woman, so the next time you hear someone talking about virtue, you’ll know what it truly means: to be one who has good moral character. Got virtue?

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Having trouble staying positive? Being a person of good moral character isn’t always easy, but there are some things you can do today to become a more virtuous person. Try some of these tips to become a more virtuous person.

• Change your language. Speaking positively can have a positive effect on your entire mood and those who you’re speaking to. Cut the gossip and criticism out your life, and watch your frame of mind change. “Kind words are like honey? Sweet to the soul
and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16:24)

• Be thankful. Is your glass half empty or half full? Instead of focusing on everything bad, be thankful for the good. Try to be thankful everyday for God’s many blessings.

• Learn to smile more. Do you always walk around with a snarl on your face? You may not have an attitude problem, but people may think that you do simply by the way you look, and may treat you accordingly. I’m not asking you to be fake, but if you are genuinely happy, it couldn’t hurt for your face to look the part. I once read that smiling can actually send the right signals to your brain to actually make you feel better. Why not give smiling a try?