Monday, April 7, 2014

Introducing S.W.A.G

I love words. I love searching out their definitions, uses and origins.

Do I sound like a nerd, yet? That's OK, because here is more.

I love all of them. From verbs to nouns to adjectives and adverbs, to synonyms, antonyms and acronyms.

I really like acronyms. So I was ecstatic when God brought this one to me:

S.W.A.G
Submissive Wife Adorned with Grace



SWAG:
the manner in which one presents his/herself


GRACE:
kind, thoughtful, generous,
respectful and respectable, 
decent, well-mannered,
compassionate,
gracious,
radiating inner beauty,
poised, intelligent, attentive,
 self-controlled

A submissive wife's SWAG,
 the way in which she presents her self, 
the very person she is, 
should contain all the attributes of GRACE.


A S.W.A.G, a gracious and grace filled woman, is one who is this:

She is love. The greatest way to love is putting anothers needs before our own, even when it hurts. A gracious wife does this consistently for her husband.

She exudes joy. She finds strength in the Lord. She radiates inner beauty because she has learned to put God first in all circumstances. Her strength in Him cannot be dulled or hidden. Her husband finds her inner beauty more attractive than her outer. He, too, is strengthened in her joy.

She brings peace to her home. Her spirit is at ease. She is not hurried, stressed, harsh or ungrateful. Her presence calms those around her, especially her husband. He feels safe with her, knowing she will bring him no harm.

She is patient. She understands the needs of her husband. She accommodates those needs before he asks them of her. A patient wife endures without complaining. She stands poised, willing to help, assist and nurture his needs.

She is kind. She is well-mannered in the way she speaks and behaves toward her husband. Neither does she harbor secret bitterness toward him. If she does, eventually it will overflow from her heart and out her mouth or through her actions. Her heart is adorned with kindness.

She is good. She is first of all respectful, then respectable. She is attentive to her husbands needs. She is dutiful in her tasks, not making herself a liability to her marriage. She is driven to achieve, capable, intelligent and seeks to do her best in all things.

She is faithful. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to her husband in mind, body and spirit. She is dependable, reliable, realistic and always present....always present. She is not easily swayed by her fleshly desires. She stays on track, focused on the task at hand, having an eternal perspective in all things.

She is gentle. She is sweet-tempered; soft, not harsh. She is understanding, serene, and compassionate toward her husband. Her gentle swag will soothe him after a hard day. Her gentle answer will calm any quarrel.

She is self-controlled. She thinks before she acts, thinks before she speaks, thinks to a greater end than what her 'self' is capable of. She is self-disciplined and does not waste her time, money or resources. She is composed and acts with wisdom.



She is gracious.
"A gracious woman retaineth honour" Pr. 11:16


She is grace-filled.
She has the "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God's sight."
1 Peter 3:4


She graces.
"A wife of noble character is her husbands crown."
Pr. 12:4


A submissive wife adorned with grace, is as rare as she is precious. 

She will remain rare if we, as wives, continue focusing on our 'self'. A woman with Godly swag cannot be found when we gauge our words and actions solely on how a situation makes us feel. Feelings are not dependable and should never be served without first viewing them in the light of truth.

A  S.W.A.G. will stay rare, indeed, if we do not consult the inspired word of God as our life manual, earnestly seeking to cultivate the qualities of an honorable woman.


Over the next few weeks....or however long God decides to inspire me to share, we will be exploring the attributes and attitudes of a S.W.A.G. I believe beyond a doubt, that God will use this acronym to encourage, enlighten and liberate wives.

I'm excited! I hope you stick around! 


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Go to the top right side bar and join today!

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Updated: click through the links in pink to read S.W.A.G characteristics!

13 comments :

  1. Kaylene, Thanks so much for this post. This really makes me stop & examine myself as a wife. God has ways of getting thru to us with a message. Today he's chosen you to continue to remind me of these things that I need to work on. Being a wife & a mother is hard, but it's definitely worth it! Prayers & hugs to you.

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  2. Wifey-hood IS hard! All things with Christ! :) So glad you were encouraged, Jenny! (Hugs!)

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  3. ;) I love the WAG part, but I'm curious about the S in your SWAG acronym. It is so important to immerse ourselves in God's grace and love so that what comes out of us reflects him and not us--this, itself, is an act of submission.

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    1. Hello, friend! :) Because of her faith & willing submission to the Lord, she receives His grace. Through that grace, she is then able to extend grace. The vision for SWAG is not to focus solely on the big "S" word, :) but rather on the gracious character & attitudes she works to adorn herself with, through her submission to the Lord, first. For myself, without His grace I could never be, nor want to be, gracious toward my husband. The word, swag, means the way in which one presents his/herself. A wife of Godly swag is adorned WITH grace, because she was first adorned BY grace. In that she is extends love, kindness, gentleness, understanding...all the fruits of the spirit.

      Hope this helps! Thank you for reading and commenting!! I don't feel qualified to write the things He lays on my heart. I'm pretty sure He does so mostly because I have a LOT to learn & work at myself! lol Blessings to you, dear one!

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  4. Kaylene, I'm glad you found your way to Three Word Wednesday. I'm always delighted when we have someone new join our community of writers. I hope you continue to join us. Blessings to you.

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  5. Your SWAG acronym is awesome! That is the only kind of "swag" I want - there are definitely always opportunities for me to grow in this. So much to learn about being a wife and mother that serves the Lord!

    Amy @ http://livinglifetruth.blogspot.com/

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  6. Hi Amy! So glad you found your way here and found this encouraging! All the glory to Him! Blessings!

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  7. Kaylene,
    Thank you for joining Sunday Stillness. May we always remember the words that you have written. In this day of "be the best"; get ahead; self-help books - we need to remember the words of God. It is not easy. Thanks for the reminder.
    Blessings,
    Janis

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    1. No, it's not easy, but all things through Christ! Putting away or "self" is tough. A daily, most times hourly work for me. Thank you for stopping by, Janis.

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  8. nice blog... visiting from Sunday community.

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    1. Hi, Sharon O. Thank you for stopping by! Blessings to you as you share our Saviour through your blog!

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  9. Very clever acronym! Thanks for this post :) I hope you can stop by and visit:

    http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2014/05/misc-monday-office-makeover-5514.html

    Colletta

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  10. Love this!! Thank you for sharing! I'll have to remember that...S.W.A.G. :)

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