Living a Beautifully Dignified Life - Part 2 Sally Clarkson Conference

Monday I shared powerful quotes from Sally Clarkson's Mom Heart Conference(her family is pictured above). Today I want to take you a bit deeper into some of the things I am wrestling out in my own life as a result of the conference.


Living Beautifully:

Some of you may remember Women Living Well's Making Your Home a Haven Fall Challenge . I encouraged us all to light a candle and pray for peace everyday. I am still practicing this habit in my home daily and as I undressed my mantel from the holiday season, I realized that the word PEACE from my mantel would go well right on my desk by my keyboard. It has served as daily reminder to pursue God and his peace. Living beautifully brings peace in the home.


Sally's daughter Sarah opened the conference with a talk on Living Thoroughly Alive. She encouraged us to cultivate time for beauty in our lives. The Bible starts "In the beginning God created..." In nature we can see God's grandeur and beauty - we cannot watch television and experience this. God is the source of beauty. Whatever keeps us from his beauty keeps us from his presence.


Sally and Sarah tag teamed as they gave practical ways to express beauty inside our homes.


1. You can read books together - to make books even more beautiful - do it beside a fireplace with a warm glow.


2. You can serve the family a warm dinner - but if you add a candle and some light music it becomes an event.


3. Take the time to make holidays extra special - celebrate life together - this builds a beautiful strong foundation.


4. Read good books - you can only give to your children what you already possess inside. Good books are essential not a frivolity.


5. Expose your children to the best things - the best art, best people, best books, and the best thoughts.


Sally shared that it was in some of their dark moments that their pursuit for beauty saved their family. And all this beauty doesn't happen by accident. We must cultivate time for beauty and time to celebrate life with our families. We must remain connected to the source of all beauty.


Dignity:
One of the most convicting moments of the conference for me personally, was Sally's talk on Proverbs 31:25. It says "She is clothed with strength and dignity."


I'm really not a very dignified person. I pretty much am an open book and I lay it all out there. I thought this was a strength for what I do in blogland BUT Sally opened my eyes to the fact that if I'm not careful...I could be a "blabber mouth" - OUCH!

Sally talked about how many women today in our media saturated world lack dignity. A dignified woman chooses to be dignified just as she chooses her clothing for the day. She does not live in fear, whine or have a critical attitude. She cultivates contentment, overlooks another's sin and is known by her love.


Family Ministry:

Watching Sally's husband and children come up on the stage one by one and sing, play their compositions they had written on the piano and share their hearts was moving. Sally said that when God called her to ministry this meant that God had also called her children and husband. I have never viewed Women Living Well as a "family ministry" but in that very moment I realized that indeed - not only is Women Living Well a calling on my life, but also on my husband and children's lives.

I came home and immediately shared this thought with my husband and he agreed. He has shared me with my on-line friends and the entire family not only prays daily out loud for my blog but also cooperates with letting me take pictures of them and splatter them all over Women Living Well! Bless their hearts!


Faith:

Sally said "If you only live by what you can accomplish by yourself, you will be condemned to works for the rest of your life. Step out in faith."

I have saturated my thoughts with this challenge...and am wondering...what is it that God wants me to step out in faith and do? Fear has been a hurdle for me in blogland - what if I say the wrong thing? What if I get a bunch of nasty emails for something silly I say lol!? What if people don't approve of my school choices? What if my children go wayward? What if what if what if...

I must choose faith over fear - clinging to God's great goodness and beauty. It is the only way to live thoroughly alive!

Thank you Sally for a weekend of both challenges and comfort. Your conference has been a spring board for me and I carry your words in my heart as seeds that I pray sprout into a beautifully dignified life.


Walk with the King!

Today is Women Living Well Wednesday! It's a Link-Up Day!!!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don't forget if you join below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here! (posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, finances, recipes, organization and more!)

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I am linked up at Titus2days (Time Warp Wife), Raising Homemakers, and Works for Me Wednesday.