Passages for the Modern Accomplished Lady

Important- Strongly affecting the course of events or the nature of things; significant

Significant- Having or expressing a meaning; meaningful

What is important, and what is not?  This seems to be a question that has plagued society since the beginning of time.  Even as far back as Adam and Eve.  It also seems that the meaning of the word has changed with time.  Well, perhaps not changed; the meaning of the word has not changed, but our focus has.

What do you think of when you hear the word important-- something that receives a large amount of attention?  That is the picture that pop culture has painted for us to see, but the definition above says nothing about attention.  It reveals another word beginning with the letter “a”: affecting. 

Affecting- Moving

Moving- Changing; causing or producing motion

Something or someone that attracts a lot of attention does constitute some sort of awareness.  However, does it deserve the honor of importance?  Is it changing a course of events, and furthermore, meaningfully changing the nature of anything?  After pondering on these questions, a flash of understanding darted across my mind:  We have the power to choose what is important. 

When a child looks at a cat, he or she says “cat” because that is what they have learned the animal to be.  They trust in what they have been taught, and believe that they know what it is.  I wonder if we, too, are children in a sense, and allow society to tell us what is important.  Blindly trusting, we believe we know what importance is.  Here is the question: Why are we allowing SOCIETY to be the teacher?  Society is probably not the only teacher out there.  I do believe, many of us have had other teachers, quite possibly on a more important level: our parents, religion, neighbors, and, or, friends.   Many of these teachers have been teaching us different things than society.  That is why we feel a conflict inside.  On one hand we have been taught that “a” and “b” are important, while society is saying “y” and “z” are important.  I wonder if there are many of us that, desiring to be noble, chose to pattern our lives after the belief that “a” and “b” really are important, and yet feel the pain from the sting that society manipulatively gives for not choosing “y” or “z”.  Allowing the pain from that all too bitter stings to dwell in our hearts, we then look at “a” and “b” through the eyes of pain, and consequently, their importance is unknowingly diminished in our minds.   We begin to doubt and question the importance of simple things.  Things like keeping the house clean so that a happy feeling can dwell in the home, or taking children to play groups so they can develop good social skills.  Don’t simple things, like social skills, change the very nature of our children, and as they grow up into adults, with good social skills, doesn’t that change the course of events for many others?   Shouldn’t we give the honor of importance to things like that? 

Now that we are somewhat aware and can see the issue, the good news is that we can change our minds; change our thought pattern.  People do THAT everyday!  We can start to catch ourselves looking at what pop culture defines as important, ask ourselves if it is meaningful, and then remind ourselves that simplicity is the key to making an important contribution.  In fact, I would venture to say, that the most important things attract very little and sometimes no attention.

The Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, came to the earth in a stable.  Very few people were there, or knew about that event until later, but it is one of the most important events in all the world’s history.  Few were there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the apostles fell asleep as Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane.  I wonder if Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John knew how many people would read their writings, and yet, look how important they have become.  (I mentioned in our first passage, that traditionally, accomplished ladies were well versed in the Bible, patterning their lives after its teachings.  I am a believer of the good word, and it is one of the reasons I have made the choices I have made in my life.  So, I will more than likely bring it up often in my passages.)

Ladies, importance is an honor that we must reclaim and give to the simple things -- the meaningful things that are changing or affecting those around us.  Few were at the actual ceremony of my wedding, and the world didn’t notice the birth of my son, but they have been the most important events of my life.  I don’t really know if anyone is reading these passages, but yet, they are important because of the change that is happening in me as I write them.  We can’t give the power to someone else to decide what is important for us.  When we do, it cunningly diminishes acts like this

 

or this.

Who says that what the woman doing in the first picture is not as important as this?

Is not the woman above changing the course of events in the elderly sisters’ life, just as this woman may be changing the course of events for some?   But which is more meaningful?  I don’t know that I have a definitive answer because there are a lot of unknown factors, but thought provoking, isn’t it?  Accomplished ladies have minds and voices of their own and are not cunningly deceived into thinking that just because something attracts attention means it is important.  We must choose to be fulfilled in the choices we make, but we can only do that if we each claim the power to define what is important in our own lives.  We can look at the choices we have made, decide that yes, we are doing something important, and allow the feeling of accomplishment to burn within our hearts.  So my dear ladies, let’s put on our bonnets, go out into our world, and continue doing important things, one simple way at a time.

Yours truly,