October Photo Challenge - Fruit

Today is an unexpected day off from work.  Yesterday the kids informed me during class that today would be a career day so no classes.  It was fun to stay up and wake up late in the middle of the week.

This morning I sat down on the couch to read and study with a container of dried apricots and almonds (now that is a sentence full of prepositional phrases), and this is one of the first things I "studied":

What a great way to start a day off.  It added to what I studied yesterday.

Two women, who were unable to finish the church’s seminary course when they were in high school, have asked me to teach them.  Both have a desire to better understand the scriptures so they can better teach their families and asked if I could help.  After receiving the necessary permission, we began meeting.  I go to one woman’s home and together we Skype the other woman and the three of us discuss the scriptures and work through assignments.  Our discussion yesterday was on being a woman in today’s world, the text being Isaiah chapters 2 – 4.   We talked about the pulls and pressures to appeal and appear as sexual specimens and plastic people rather than real women, and the lure to put ourselves first and others last.  Isaiah warned that women of our day would

walk haughty with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet

With that description, I can perfectly picture me in a few situations.  Isaiah warned that we not become sidetracked with

tinkling ornaments, cauls, and round tires like the moon, chains, bracelets, mufflers, bonnets, and ornaments of the legs, headbands, tablets, ear-rings,  rings, and nose jewels; changeable suits of apparel, mantles, wimples, crisping-pins, glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils

He was warning women who knew better – women like me and you – not women of ignorance.  He prophesied that we – women who know better – will want to “have it all” and in the process will lose track of what is really important.  He warned that after many had followed the foolishness (that he warned of) the Lord would wash away and purge the filthy (think Noah and the Ark or Sodom and Gomorrah).  Isaiah countered it by promising those who follow the Savior and overcome the pull of worldliness great protection and refuge in their homes.   

My two friends had incredible personal insights as to these verses and I learned much from them as they talked.  I thought of Isaiah’s warnings as I watched this video.  To be a strong, compassionate, spiritual woman in a swaying world is no small thing.