Speaking With Wisdom

This is such a wonderful article that goes along with the devotional I wrote today. It is written by Anna S. and originally appeared on Mayden Fair.

Hello there, dear maidens!
It's nice to be writing here on Mayden Fair again, after such a long period of having very little time to blog.

This month's theme is wisdom, which is a character trait we develop throughout our lives, and must especially concentrate on it during our years as maidens, as we prepare to become, God willing, wives and mothers. Surely no young woman wants to enter marriage – or adult life in general, for that matter - without working on this most important trait.Again, I resort to Proverbs 31, which is a beautiful summary of nearly everything we discuss here on this blog:

'She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.'I would like to challenge all of us, and especially myself, by doing the following check-up:

- Do you open your mouth with wisdom, after careful consideration of what you are going to say, or do you let out any and every thought that passes in your mind?

- Do you speak with moderation, when asked or when you have something important, positive, uplifting and loving to say, or do you indulge in idle conversations which steal away a lot of your time and energy?

- Is 'the law of kindness' in your tongue, or do you give way to gossip, slander, malice and judgmental attitude? Do you actively or passively participate in conversations that might hurt others?

When I think about it, I blush with embarrassment. I can humbly say I'm improving in this area, but I have definitely been guilty of it all: idle conversation, gossip, and speaking before I think. I honestly feel I'm short of words to describe what a negative impression it creates, and how it cheapens the value of an otherwise lovely maiden.

So, ladies, let's get to work. Let's cultivate wisdom, while always keeping a humble attitude and remembering we can – and should – always learn from others, and also that whatever we learn, it is but a tiny portion of God's infinite knowledge. Let us strive to be wise, not in order to become arrogant or boastful, but to be better able to fulfill our calling, to serve our family and community, and to live out to the fullest the beautiful years of joyful maidenhood.