“Your adornment must not be merely external-braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. “ 1 Peter 3:3-4
I love going to my husband's football games, I love the energy and excitement of the games. I also enjoy getting dressed up for the games. Lately, the schools have had themed games i.e. tourist night, 80’s night, black out, pink out, or just school spirit. My husband's current school goes all out for themed nights and the student section is full of crazy teenagers dressed up, painted and energetic for their team. You would think based on the energy and the outfits that the school had this amazing football team, when in fact we were 1-9. But because of the social media posts, energy, and hype around the team, the outside community does not know the actual record. I run into people all the time that comment on how great the team is based on its social media presence.
This same thing can relate to our outward appearance and our spiritual lives. We can look the part, go to the right church, and say the right things, when really our spiritual lives are losing. I have gone through seasons when my focus was not on my hidden person but my outward. My thought life has not been focused on Jesus, rather on work, worry over my kids or on my husband. I will become fixated on losing 5 lbs, building muscle, or getting a new outfit. These things in themselves are not bad, but when my focus is on them more than Jesus and His grace, I get myself in trouble. This verse always seems to ground me back to what God finds worthy. I have it on my bathroom mirror and have recently started to meditate and pray to have a quiet and gentle spirit. Gentle means kind, mild, calm, something we can only achieve through Christ in us. It is always a temptation for me at the football games to talk back to the dad that is yelling at the coach or to gossip with the parents, or at home to get frustrated at my kids or husband and overreact. It is sobering to think how this displeases God. I love how He has given us the tools to become gentle and quiet through the Holy Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
I hope this season that as we focus on our hidden person, we will be like David saying “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation on my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. “ Psalms 19:14.
-Aprille Waldrop
*Aprille lives in Merritt Island, FL with her husband and 4 kids. She has a 14 year old step son, a 7 year old son, and a 4 year old and 2 year old daughters. Her husband is currently the head football coach at Cocoa Beach High School. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently working as a grief counselor and hospice social worker.
I love going to my husband's football games, I love the energy and excitement of the games. I also enjoy getting dressed up for the games. Lately, the schools have had themed games i.e. tourist night, 80’s night, black out, pink out, or just school spirit. My husband's current school goes all out for themed nights and the student section is full of crazy teenagers dressed up, painted and energetic for their team. You would think based on the energy and the outfits that the school had this amazing football team, when in fact we were 1-9. But because of the social media posts, energy, and hype around the team, the outside community does not know the actual record. I run into people all the time that comment on how great the team is based on its social media presence.
This same thing can relate to our outward appearance and our spiritual lives. We can look the part, go to the right church, and say the right things, when really our spiritual lives are losing. I have gone through seasons when my focus was not on my hidden person but my outward. My thought life has not been focused on Jesus, rather on work, worry over my kids or on my husband. I will become fixated on losing 5 lbs, building muscle, or getting a new outfit. These things in themselves are not bad, but when my focus is on them more than Jesus and His grace, I get myself in trouble. This verse always seems to ground me back to what God finds worthy. I have it on my bathroom mirror and have recently started to meditate and pray to have a quiet and gentle spirit. Gentle means kind, mild, calm, something we can only achieve through Christ in us. It is always a temptation for me at the football games to talk back to the dad that is yelling at the coach or to gossip with the parents, or at home to get frustrated at my kids or husband and overreact. It is sobering to think how this displeases God. I love how He has given us the tools to become gentle and quiet through the Holy Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
I hope this season that as we focus on our hidden person, we will be like David saying “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation on my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. “ Psalms 19:14.
-Aprille Waldrop
*Aprille lives in Merritt Island, FL with her husband and 4 kids. She has a 14 year old step son, a 7 year old son, and a 4 year old and 2 year old daughters. Her husband is currently the head football coach at Cocoa Beach High School. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently working as a grief counselor and hospice social worker.
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