Happy Valentine’s Day!

                                                                             True Love Quiz
Directions: Read each question and answer Yes or No. Give 2 points for every yes answer. Subtract 1 point for each no answer. Add and/ or subtract points to find out if this is true love.

1. Is your loved one patient?
2. Is your love one kind?
3. Is your love one confident?
4. Is your love one hopeful?
5. Does your love one celebrate when truth and justice wins?
6. Does your love one encourage you?
7. Is your love one considerate to you and others?
8. Does your love one endure through every circumstance?

                                       13-16 points = It’s true love!!!
                                       9-12 points = It’s strong like leading to true love!
                                       5-8 points = You need to rethink this relationship.
                                        0-4 points = Definitely not true love. Toxic relationship. Break up now.
 
    Do those quiz questions sound familiar to you? Where is that found? In the love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13! You are correct.
         Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthian 13: 4-7 NLT
     The true love quiz is just a fun thing to do. It’s not a real quiz that can tell us if we have definitely found true love. However, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is how Jesus love is for us and how we should truly love others. These scriptures are a guide for how we are to love others. I say guide because we are imperfect people and we may do some of the negative or opposite things of love (I know I have) to our loved ones. When we do those negative things, we need to check ourselves and get back on the right path of true love. We need to stay mindful of how we love others.
     Although that quiz is for fun, there is truth in it. If you took the quiz and realized that you answered many no’s, you may be in an unhealthy relationship. A relationship that adds value to our lives, should be positive and life affirming; not negative and draining. A good relationship is healthy, if it’s not healthy than it’s not going the way God created relationships.
     Do you want to find true love? Jesus’ love is the ultimate true love. He is ready to fill your heart, body, soul and spirit with his unfailing love. All you need to do is trust and believe that Jesus is Lord. No one can truly love the way Jesus loves us. Thank you, Jesus for your true unfailing love!
      Happy Valentine’s day! May you experience the grace, mercy, comfort, peace and ultimate true love of Jesus now and forever. Amen.
     Thanks for reading! Hope you get some good chocolate on this day of love. Sign up for the fabulous faith – filled woman’s list, share, like, comment and follow me. Spread love with a tee from the Love Letter Collection! Love ya!

     ​Perfect submission. In todays culture submission is almost a hate word – especially to some women. Today it is all about YOLO (You only live once), you do you, anything goes, etc; to submit to anything or anyone is out of the question.  Even throughout history to submit to another person has bad connotations. We think of slaves, indentured servants, degraded wives, tenants of noble families of old, and many other examples.
     According to Oxford American Dictionary the definition of submit is to yield oneself to the authority or control of another, to surrender. However submission is actually not that bad. Through out our lives we have had to or are submitting ourselves to people. When we were younger, we submitted ourselves to our parents, we submit to our employer, we submit to laws and government. We know that our lives are better when we submit to certain people and authorities.
     I think you know where I’m going with this...  There is a perfect submission that we can do that can give us a freedom like no other. A freedom from our desires, sins and control. Freedom from the burden of pleasing others and keeping up with the culture. This freedom free us from lies, guilt, shame, condemnation and lasting pain the enemy tries to pin us with. This freedom comes when we willingly submit ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and savior.
     When we willingly submit to God we are blessed, we grow in righteousness and holiness. We will live a thriving, prosperous and abundant life! It doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and troubles in this life.I have experienced some this week!  Monday I witnessed a child I know get hit by a car, she was slightly injured praise God, and my furnace broke Tuesday night! But because of my perfect submission to Jesus and God (and praying without ceasing), I know things will be alright.
     The key word is willing. God doesn’t make us do anything because that isn’t what perfect love does. He wants us to do it on our own, cheerfully, without grumbling. When we submit willingly it exhibits a level of strength and intelligence, because it is not easy (I know that for a fact!). It takes a wise and strong person to submit to the Lord; to give up trying to control our lives (and others). In losing control we are actually gaining something priceless: Life!
    Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8: 1-2 NIV

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5 – 6 NIV

    Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NIV
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    “Perfect submission, all is at rest
    I in my Savior am happy and blessed
    Watching and waiting, looking above
    Filled with His goodness, lost in His love”
   This second stanza of Blessed Assurance (Crosby, 1873) beautifully shows how perfect submission is. Choose perfect submission.

    Thanks for reading. You know I love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment. Have you signed up for the fabulous faith – filled woman’s list yet? Sign up so you won’t miss out on freebies, deals, blog updates and more! Show God’s love with a tee from the Love Letter collection! Save 14% all February, the month of love when you sign up.
Love ya!

       ​Lot’s of things are going on behind the scenes at She Who Honors. And I want to share it with you! I am the president of the Pittsburgh chapter of Word Weavers International; a Christian writers critique group. As you may know as I have shared in previous blog posts, I just finished writing a Christian non – fiction young adult women’s issue book titled Our Hearts Desires: A look at love, sex, grace and forgiveness (yes, I have changed the title). I am preparing to go to the Word Weavers International Florida Christian Writers Conference in early March and will have the opportunity to present this work to agents and publishers.
       If you are an aspiring author I highly suggest going to a writers conference. It is a great experience. There are workshops, classes, meet and greets with other writers and authors, and you can speak to agents and publishers face to face about your work. I went to my first writers conference, St Davids' Christian writers conference, last year and loved it! I learned a lot, and met some wonderful authors from all levels and spoke with a traditional publisher who gave me great advice.
      If you are interested in the Florida Christian Writer’s conference registration is still open. You don’t have to be a member of Word Weavers to attend, it is open to all. However, Word Weaver members get a discount. There are Word Weaver writing groups all over the country. Click Word Weavers to learn more.
     Other exciting news here at She Who Honors is, I published a booklet for pre – teen and teen girls! You Are Worth More Than Diamonds and Gold: A booklet about your worth and value to God.  I have a passion and calling to show God’s love in action and truth, especially for women of all ages. This booklet was inspired by the girls from the outreach basketball program I volunteer for. I love these girls very much and many of them don’t realize their value and worth and how much God loves them. So, I wrote this interactive booklet, that includes powerful scripture, thought provoking questions for the girls to answer and space for them to write their answers and thoughts. I shared this book at a small group Bible study with some of the girls from the outreach and they really liked it! They were my first focus group. The books will be available for sale in early February.

       Other things in the works from She Who Honors is a goals planner, adult coloring books and a fitness collection. I call my self a budding designer and I love designing graphics, patterns, vectors and other things. I give all glory and honor to God for everything that has been happening since the launch of She Who Honors! I praise him always. Everything I do is for God and I give him all the glory.
           Thank you for reading and engaging with She Who Honors!
Remember to: Get on the fabulous faith – filled women’s list for deals and blog updates. Buy a tee from the Love Letter collection to dress to profess and show God’s love in action and truth. Like, comment, share, and follow me! Love ya!