Category: Guest-Writers

Written By: K Keeler

Proverbs 31: 10 (Message Bible)

         A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.

Ladies, the Lord our God and Creator of the heavens and earth has made us, “… worth far more than diamonds.” How blessed are we to be created in His divine image?

It is so exciting to sit here and think about the fact that I am beautiful in the eyes of our Lord. Who cares what society thinks is ” beautiful” when I have God telling me that I was created in His image and that I am perfect the way that I am right now. I hope that you ladies feel the same way.

When I was five years old, I broke out with a flaky rash known as psoriasis. I went to several doctors to see what it was and if there was any way for me to get rid of it. I soon learned that it was hereditary, from my fathers side of the family, and that I will likely have it for the rest of my life. They gave me lotions and things to keep it under control but I will never fully rid my body of this skin disease.

I’m going to be honest with you, ladies. This rash is ugly. My body is covered in little pink, flaky spots like polka dots. But girls, this rash doesn’t make ME ugly. Growing up with this skin disease has taught me so much! One thing it taught me is that I am beautiful because God made me so. I was created in His image, and a silly rash will never take that away from me.

So take this verse into your heart and let God speak to you through it. Allow His words to give you confidence. Life your life to the fullest knowing that you are, “… worth far more than diamonds.”

I pray that you all find your worth in Jesus Christ. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Written By: Debi Chapman

Recipe for Greatness
“A good woman is hard to find and worth far more than diamonds.”
Proverbs 31:10 Message Bible
Comparing diamonds to a woman’s worth raises a high standard. How many of us consider ourselves worthy of such comparison?  
Deep in our soul we wrestle with the idea that we’re not enough. I know I’m not alone in this lifelong search for value. We measure ourselves against others and feel somehow our Maker put more effort into others. Let’s look to Scripture for direction here. Although different versions site various stones of great worth, in Proverbs 31, I like the concept of a diamond. After all, a diamond is a girl’s best friend, right?  
Taking a closer look, the similarities can’t be denied.

1. Historically seen as symbols of supreme strength

2. Ancients thought diamonds were full of life (due to the ability to lift spirits)

3. The strongest mineral known to mankind

4. Constructed over time with pressure and heat

5. Formed in the dark (deep in the Earth’s mantle)

6. Known for brilliance

7. The closer diamond gets to colourless the more valuable

8. Unbreakable

9. Discovered at great cost

10. Highly sought after

11. A diamond’s hardness depends on its purity

12. Often stolen away from its owner
Mystery surrounds this gem. Diamonds are made out of highly organized carbon. Geologists are still guessing how diamonds are formed in the Earth, but they think the recipe follows something like this:

1. Bury carbon dioxide 100 miles into Earth

2. Heat to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Squeeze under pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch

4. Quickly rush towards Earth’s surface to cool
Women, by nature are mysterious and complex – much like a diamond.

Women:

1. Throughout history, seen as symbols of great strength

2. Full of life with the ability to lift the spirits of those around her

3. “Strength and beauty are her clothing” Proverbs 31:25

4. A woman’s strength is formed over the years through life’s pressures and often difficult circumstances

5. Our best choices are made in the dark, quiet places – alone before God

6. Known for wisdom

7. Value comes with vulnerability and transparency

8. Determined to protect her young at any cost

9. Hidden beauty – discovered at great cost

10. Thought to be elusive

11. Strength comes from purity

12. Guard your heart from being stolen away
The next time you find yourself wrestling with your worth, stop and consider this analogy from our Maker. Creation was formed with a diamond in mind. You were formed by the same God of the Universe with your unique design.
A woman’s recipe for greatness is strength formed under pressure and the result – priceless.

Written By: Karin Appleby

“A good woman is hard to find. She is worth more than diamonds.” Proverbs 31:10

When I was first asked to write for UYM, I was very excited. I immediately said “yes”. I was excited to help my friend with her ministry, and I have always loved to write. A couple of days later, I sat down to look at what I was asked to write about. Honestly, I sat there and laughed. It was a “you have got to be kidding me” kind of laugh. How did I miss this? Proverbs 31. Of course! This is the passage on The Proverbs 31 Woman. I had only noticed that the topic was “Worth More Than Diamonds”. My laughing quickly turned into a, “Oh God, what am i going to do” kind of groan.
If I had been asked to write about The Place of Women in Ministry, or 7 Simple Steps to Attaining Perfect Peace, or The End Times (okay, not really) or a myriad of other topics, I would have smiled, done some research, and started writing confidently. But this passage of scripture. *Sigh* This was personal. Over the years as I’ve interacted with my husband and children, I am confident they have wanted to rise up and call me things, but I’m not sure it has always been blessed. This passage of scripture has inspired me when I was a bright-eyed eager, young girl, and has overwhelmed me when I was a dedicated, over-achieving, newly married woman. Honestly, I have tried to ignore it as the realities of life, both wonderful and disappointing, have pressed in…except occasionally as a joke – “Wow, any woman who can do all of that would be a fearsome thing to behold” (insert laughter here). How was I going to write anything worth reading about this?  
This is where the praying part of the story begins. No matter what I had been asked to write about, I would have prayed. It would have gone something like “Lord, please speak through me as I write this article on the End Times. Put Your words in my mouth so that I can communicate what You want me to share. If You want to give some incredible new insight that no one has ever thought of, that would be awesome too. Amen.” There is nothing wrong with this prayer. But this time my prayer went something like, “Oh God, I need you so much! When I look at this passage of scripture, I am terrified. How can I, a woman who is so far from the incredible example found here in scripture, hope to write anything for women (who probably have it far more together than I do)? Amen.” Hmmm…could it be that there might be some of my own issues with worth surfacing?
God is so good! Over the next several weeks as I continued to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit, the Lord took me on a journey of discovery about worth. The phrase worth more than diamonds began to rattle around in my head. I began reading all about the process of how diamonds are formed at geology.com. Did you know that diamonds are formed about 150 km (90 miles) below the surface of the earth? The formation of natural diamonds requires very high temperatures and pressures. These conditions occur in limited areas of the earth’s mangle where temperatures are at least 1050 degrees Celsius (2000 degrees Fahrenheit). Through the process of incredible pressure and heat, carbon gas particles are changed into crystals. Diamonds are then brought to the earth’s surface during underground volcanic eruptions. When a diamond is finally dug out of the earth, it often looks like a cloudy, ugly rock (the kind I would toss back if I found it on a beach). A diamond must still be cut and polished. Finally the diamond is in it’s perfect state. It’s full value becomes obvious to anyone that looks at it.
The Lord began to speak to me. “If I were to show you a plot of land and tell you there is a diamond forming deep in the soil, how would you feel about that piece of land? Would you want that land?” “Oh yes Lord, I would want that land!” I replied. “What if it were the most barren piece of wasteland you had ever seen?” “It wouldn’t matter, Lord. If you told me a diamond was forming there, I would still want it.” “What if I were to give you that piece of ugly land and tell you that if you were patient long enough, and you allowed me to put enough pressure and heat on that land, it would produce a diamond of astounding worth for you?” “I would say, Lord do whatever you need to do to create exactly the right conditions. Would it help if I parked my car on top of it?”
He began to show me that this is how He sees all of us. He thought of us and created us. Our incredible worth is innate. When we receive Him as the Lord of our lives, the perfect elements are brought together for the process of transformation to occur. It is uncomfortable as He applies tremendous heat and pressure, creating exactly the right conditions to shape and form us into what He dreams we would be. Finally, when the time is right, He uncovers the incredible new thing that He has been forming in us, but it is still in it’s raw unpolished state. He continues to cut and polish and shape until our lives resemble a diamond of incredible worth that everyone can recognize.  

The trouble in this process is, we often look at the scripture about the Proverbs 31 Woman, or the lives of others around us, and we conclude because we don’t look like the finished product, we don’t have any worth. We are all in process. Some of us are like the diamonds still in the earth. We are in a place of hiddenness. Great pressure and heat are being applied to our lives. In this place it is so easy to wonder if we have been forgotten by God. Some of us are in the middle of what feels like a volcanic eruption. Everything that we used to know is rapidly changing. God is bringing to the surface the incredible thing He has been doing in us, but it feels confusing because all we can see is a cloudy rock. We feel like even though we can see some progress, we are still falling so far short. Some of us are in the cutting and polishing stage of the journey. While we are thankful for the calm, we are sometimes wondering if this process will ever end. In the midst of the process, it can be difficult not to look ahead to what we dream the finished product will look like and be disappointed by what our reality is. It is difficult not to compare ourselves with others and find our own worth lacking.
The thing the Lord whispered to my heart as He spoke to me about this process, and I long for each of you to hear Him whisper to you – “Your worth is immeasurable to me, no matter where you are in this process!” When He asked me if I wanted the field where the diamonds were forming, my answer was a resounding YES! The worth was already there even though I could not see the end result.  
Ladies, your worth is already established! The Creator of the Universe thought of you, created you, then offered to put His own spirit inside of you because of your incredible worth. As you continually submit your life to Him, all of the incredible-ness inside you will begin to shine on the outside. It is as you turn to your Creator and decide to allow Him to determine your worth that you can know, truly know, you are “worth more than diamonds”.  

About Karin: 

Karin is an American living in beautiful Ontario, Canada. She loves being a Children’s Pastor at Amherstburg Community Church. Karin believes that identity determines destiny and is passionate about raising up a generation of children who know their Heavenly Father and believes what He says about them. In her spare time, Karin loves to wander through antique shops, read good books, cook new foods, and drink tea with friends. She has been married to her wonderful husband Dan for 22 years, and they have two awesome kids, Will and Abbey.

Written By: Rachel Shaw

God has a lot to say about our identity and worth found in Jesus Christ. As we have been studying together we know that we are loved, special and created beautifully for a purpose. 

I want to do an exercise together. 

In your journal (or anywhere really), write 5 things that you love about your outward appearance. (eye colour, hair texture, skin, cute nose etc.) 

After you write those 5 things, write 5 things that you love about your character. (Personality– funny, genuine, respectful etc.) 
I did this exercise and found that it was kind of tough. Sometimes it’s so easy for us to constantly think of the negatives. It’s so simple to think of all the things we hate about ourselves. “The things I do wrong, the mistakes I make………”

God wants us to be confident. 

God wants us to know our identity. 

God wants us to really know our worth. 

The more we know our worth, the more confident we are. 
The more confident we are – the more we set higher standards for ourselves. (Standards as in spouse, future family, career, life decisions) 
Really meditate and think about the things that you wrote down. Be confident, knowing your worth in Jesus Christ. Throughout the week, continue adding to the lists. Add more and more things you love about yourself as we continue this journey on identity and worth.
Thank you Jesus for fearfully and wonderfully creating us. We are made in Your image, and for that, we are thankful. Create in us a new heart. Make us to be strong and wise women, who are confident in our identity. Continue to help us understand our real worth.
In Jesus name,

Amen. 

Written by: Abby Breuklander 
If someone were to come up to you and say, “If I had to choose between a diamond or you, I’d pick you every time.”, what would your reaction be? I’d be the first to take a quick look around and ask, “Who me?”. But did you know that someone already says that about YOU every single day? 

God has chosen us – not because of who we are – but because of who He is and who we will become in Him. It has absolutely nothing to do with us at all, we didn’t choose Him, He has chosen us. And He’s proud to call us His own. How amazing to be wanted even more than a diamond!! How heart-melting is that? This is the kind of love that each and every one of us is looking for!!
Diamonds go through a very long process. It takes a lot of work to achieve just the right design, cut and sparkle. It’s the same in life! It takes a lot of effort to keep going when life gets hard and you just don’t know how you’re going to take one more step. But this pressure is part of our refining process; it hurts to be cut and stripped of things that we want. Never realizing at the time that the pain that feels like it’s going to kill us is actually going to help us shine even brighter than before!
It’s taking the blemishes and stripping them not just off of our lives, but off of our hearts as well. I’ll be the first to admit that it really, really hurts. But He knows that after the pain the beauty can really shine through. And once we see the difference and how light and free we feel, the peace that passes our understanding just pours over us!

Jesus didn’t pay thousands or millions of dollars for you. He paid so much more than that with His suffering, blood and life. You and I were on His mind the entire time, He went through Hell itself just to point at you and say, “This one’s mine!”. Never, ever forget that, especially on the days when you feel absolutely worthless. You are always worthy to Him. No one else is ever going to love you the way that Jesus does. You are loved, treasured and cherished just the way you are. And nothing can ever change that, nothing could ever make Him love you less. Sure there are times when we slip up and fall flat on our face, but He’s right there to pick us up and dust us off. He’s going to walk with us every step of the way.
He knows that you’re worth it no matter the past, no matter the circumstances that you may find yourself in. He died for YOU, that’s how much you mean to Him. When we realize just how precious we are to Him, far far more than diamonds, we will be able to to understand just how much He loves us. Despite the pain, despite the journey to where we are now, we will see just who we are in Him.

Sometimes our refining process can seem agonizingly and painstakingly slow. But our timetable isn’t the same as His, and He knows exactly how long it’ll take for us to step into our full potential. We can’t rush something this important. He doesn’t make mistakes and wants us to be just perfect for His use.
You are so much more than a diamond in another important way. A diamond can’t love Him the way that you can. This is the first time in the history of the world that a creation can love it’s Creator!
Everything in life loses it’s glitz and glamour, but with Him that’s just not the case. With the light of Christ shining in us, we never have to worry that He’ll toss us aside for someone “bigger and better”. People may toss us aside, but He never ever will. Once He has you, He’s never letting you go. And nothing can ever take you away from Him. How incredible and absolutely mind blowing is that?? It may not seem like it right now, but there truly is beauty in your pain…..you just need to know when and where to look. So hang in there, I promise that it’ll be worth it. What are you waiting for? Get out there and shine knowing Who’s you are! Sparkle like you mean it!

Written By: Krystyn Slauenwhite 

In my eyes everyone is worthy. You are valuable in your own unique way. We each bring something special to this world, that’s the way God intended it for us. 
I still struggle with self worth. I know most of us have been there. There are mornings I wake up and feel inspired and believe in myself then there are mornings I don’t feel “good enough.” 

Growing up I was always finding a way to feel worthy. I would try to find it in relationships, friendships, other peers and I may have felt good from time to time but deep down inside I would still feel worthless. That area of my life wasn’t full. There was something missing. 

It was a message I felt God gave me one day. It was during one of my quiet times. I felt God speaking to me saying: “Daughter, I love you very much. Your worthiness is found in me. Seek me.” Every once in awhile I hear God through an audible voice. Everyone hears God differently, sometimes it’s God speaking through someone who is giving you encouragement or He could be that positive voice inside of your head. My heart felt so full in that moment and I knew it was God! 

From this day on, I lean on those words. I wanted to share that story with every one because I believe He wants all of His sons and daughters to know how worthy and valuable you are, that He loves you all very much and sees so much beauty in us. 

I want to leave with you something I do when I start to feel like I’m not worthy. I write down some things I love about myself. Find 5 things. Write them down then say them out loud. What a great reminder of how valuable each one of us is 🙂
About Krystyn: 

Written By: Joy Presland 

Worth.

There is so much that comes to mind when I think of this word. It’s kind of like the word love. I love my dog, I love my house, I love my family, I love my new watch.

And yet each “love” has a different meaning and can change by the second. Is that really love though, I ask?

We think of worth the same way. Everything has a different meaning of worth in our lives and can change moment by moment.

We even look at people and judge their worth by what they do, how much money they have, what they look like. And I ask myself the same question. Is that really worth?

When I looked up the word worth in the Bible, it did not seem very positive. It actually talked a lot of how we are not worthy.

Before everyone gets downcast, I must say that further in my reading, my soul was lifted up as I found that MY worth does not change every day, it does not go up when I have a good day and down when I mess up or have a bad day.

My worth is unshakeable and my worth is immoveable.

Since the Word is truth and never changes, so is my worth as it is not found in my behaviour but founded in the finished work of the Cross.

If we could only see ourselves in this light and believe it, our behaviour would surely follow.

Since we are talking about worth in the sense of the Proverbs 31 woman, “worth more than diamonds” I felt this would be good to share, it says it very well.

“Two young ladies arrived at a meeting wearing clothes that were quite revealing their body parts. Here is what the Chairman told them: He took a good look at them and made them sit. Then he said something that, they might never forget in their life. He asked,

1. Where do you find diamonds?

They answered “Deep down in the ground, covered and protected.”

2. Where do you find pearls?

They answered “Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell.”

3. Where do you find gold?

They answered “Way down in the mine, covered over with layers of rock and to get them, you have to work hard & dig deep down to get them.” 

He looked at them with serious eyes and said;

 “Your body is sacred & unique. You are far more precious than gold, diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.” So he added that, if you keep your treasured mineral just like gold, diamond and pearls, deeply covered up, a reputable mining organization with the requisite machinery will fly down and conduct years of extensive exploration.

 First, they will contact your government (family), sign professional contracts (wedding) and mine you professionally (legal marriage). But if you leave your precious minerals uncovered on the surface of the earth, you always attract a lot of illegal miners to come and mine you illegally. Everybody will just pick up their crude instruments and just have a dig on you freely. Keep your bodies deeply covered so that it invite professional miners to chase you.

 ~Credit: Grand Mptivational Squad.

What we believe our worth is, will come out in our behaviour in many ways.

We as women ARE created to bear His image and reflect Him in ALL things. This is definitely a journey. As we keep our eyes on Him and what He says about us, we truly will walk WORTHY of our calling. Worth more than diamonds, noble in character as is described in Proverbs 31 woman. I challenge you to read it, it’s a good chapter.   

Written By: Angela Ridsdale

What defines our worth? Better yet, why do we have to weigh out a worth. WhenI looked up this word to get a better understanding of it’s definition I was slightly distraught.

A lot of what was said determined that we find worth in our material and monetary values. Or based on the knowledge we have.

I don’t believe this to be true. I believe that worth goes much deeper than what  can be offered to you from your interactions. It’s true that the knowledge that we have can be shared in importance in order to guide each other to doing what’s right. 

But, that is not what gives us worth. When we were born we had and still have infinite worth. Maybe not according to some in this world, but according to God. Sometimes I get discouraged because I feel like worth according to this world is so superficial and ultimately weighs on what someone can gain from us.

And this is what God tells us.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not byMworks, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2: 4-10

In my education I was taught to respect the worth of persons no matter the circumstances they fell under. When I think of my life I know I have worth. 

The God of this universe has told me so! A worth that is more than money. A worth that is more than diamonds. A worth that is more than anything that can be offered to me on this earth. 

We are all created in God’s image, no matter what circumstances fall upon us. We are all chosen for a plan by God no matter if we follow this or not. The worth of us does not stop just because we might look different, act different, feel different, or live different.

Rejoice today for you are walking among people who are worth more than diamonds! And you, well yes, you are definitely included. (:
About Angela:

 Angela is 20 years old and love cats. She just recently got engaged to a wonderful man named Anthony whom She looks forward to sharing the rest of her life with. She began her journey with Christ as a teenager and has brought Her love of God, everywhere she goes. She has deep values in genuineness and truth. She is currently working on her degree in Social Service Work specializing in Gerontology with hopes to work with older adults in disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout the community. Some of her passions include: Singing, reading and being with her lovely Youth and Young Adults groups! 

Written By: Tori Hazzard

Written By: Alycia Dupuis

Hello my name is Alycia and I have Churg-Strauss Syndrome. That is honestly how I have defined myself for the past 6 months.

Although it is true, I do have CSS, I know my identity is not rooted in it and I am still on a journey to figure out how to live with a life-threatening disease while not letting it define who I am. I have been many things in my 27 years on this earth. A child, a daughter, a sinner, a student, a friend, an enemy, an alcoholic, a blood-bought born-again daughter of the King, a wife and a mother.

Unfortunately, lately I just feel like the girl with that crazy disease that has no medical cure. I struggled about what to say when I was asked to write this blog post. On one hand I was honored on the other…unworthy? I wasn’t sure how uplifting my words would be, because I honestly haven’t felt very uplifted myself.

The last 2 years have been an intense and terribly frustrating roller coaster! In the second trimester of my pregnancy in 2012 I developed severe asthma and joint pain. I was told this was a temporary condition brought on by my pregnancy and it would most likely subside, After I gave birth.

Well it didn’t. In fact it got much worse. After many emergency room visits, doctors and specialist appointments I was finally hospitalized in November 2013 due to the severity of my condition and the fact that nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. I had giant painful purple lesions all over my body that were originally misdiagnosed as ringworm.

I was coughing up blood, I couldn’t taste couldn’t smell, couldn’t breathe, the list goes on. After 3 weeks in ICU and one week on life support with heart and kidney failure I was finally diagnosed with this extremely rare autoimmune disease.

Now this all sounds pretty awful, but you should know that the timing of this was impeccable. You see, not a single nurse or doctor in that hospital knew what was wrong with me and all the tests were inconclusive. But there was one doctor who had only been working at that hospital for 3 weeks in fact he had just moved here from Connecticut and he had seen my 2 in a million condition once before.

I truly believe God orchestrated all of that and many more little details most of which I am probably unaware of. I’m sure He is doing that on my behalf every day, but I don’t even realize it. It is easy for me to get frustrated that all if this had to happen and that I am stuck on these terribly potent steroids with very unpleasant side effects. Some days it doesn’t take more than a glance in the mirror to literally make me hate myself for being covered in big permanent scars and gaining 50 disgusting pounds beyond my control.

It’s being thankful that takes discipline. Thankful that I am alive, to watch my daughter grow up.

On days when I have zero energy to run around, after a 1 year old, I try to remember that I am actually one of the lucky ones because I can. The goodness of God never ceases to amaze me so long as I remember to see it. It’s always there.

Even though sometimes it feels like the only thing that’s relevant I know that I am not just that girl with Churg-Strauss. I am a wife, and a mother and I’ve got the best Dad in the whole world.

“God sees the little sparrow fall, It meets His tender view; If God so loves the little birds, I know He loves me, too.”

About Alycia: