“Kemolekan adalah bohong dan kecantikan adalah sia-sia, tetapi isteri yang takut akan TUHAN dipuji-puji.”
{Amsal 31:30}
[AkhirZaman.org] Saya memiliki tiga cucu perempuan yang sangat mengagumkan—Bianca, Kali, dan Ariyah—dan saya begitu senang melihat mereka bertiga tumbuh dengan kepribadian mereka yang berbeda-beda. Menghabiskan waktu dengan mereka, baik pada jam makan, waktu ke gereja, atau waktu bermain, sangatlah luar biasa. Semua itu mengingatkan saya akan waktu kecil dimana saya bermain-main dengan boneka (dan juga mogil-mobilan), bermain lompat-lompatan, mengendarai sepeda, memainkan peragaan busana bersama teman-teman perempuan lain, pergi ke Sekolah Sabat dan gereja bersama nenek saya, dan menikmati masa anak-anak yang begitu bebas.
Salah satu kegiatan favorit cucu-cucu saya itu adalah bermain peragaan busana. Mereka punya banyak gaun-gaun kecil yang sangat mereka sayangi, sepatu-sepatu dengan aneka warna dan bentuk bak sepatu putri raja, dan banyak mahkota dan tiara. Bahkan tanpa harus bercermin, mereka tahu bahwa mereka cantik. Kostum yang spesial membuat mereka merasa bahwa mereka adalah tuan putri yang istimewa, dan mereka selalu ingin mendengar pujian dari saya dan Poppa—kakek mereka. Dan tentu saja kami dengan senang hati akan memuji mereka! Ketika mereka harus berganti baju dengan baju normal mereka, mereka sangat sedih, dan memohon untuk diberi lebih banyak waktu untuk menjadi putri raja dan mengobrol tentang putri raja, ratu, raja, dan kerajaan. Namun bahkan walaupun mereka sudah mengenakan pakaian yang indah dan penampilan luar mereka tampak bersinar, kecenderungan alamiah mereka untuk berkelahi dan membuat onar pun keluar, dan kelakuan mereka menjadi sangat jelek. Setelah semuanya itu, ketiga anak ini pun menangis bersama dan mendapat pengalaman yang buruk setelah mereka bermain bersama-sama selama beberapa jam, dan semuanya mengklaim bahwa mereka adalah putri raja!
Bukankah kita juga seperti Bianca, Kali, dan Ariyah—sangat bersemangat untuk mengenakan ‘jubah’ kekristenan kita dan berlenggak-lenggok untuk memamerkan keelokan Kristen kita sehingga semua orang dapat mengaguminya? Kita begitu bersemangat mengetahui bahwa suatu hari nanti kita akan bertemu dengan Raja kita; namun di saat yang bersamaan kita bersifat arogan, kasar, atau watak yang kejam menggantikan keelokan tabiat Kristen yang seharusnya kita miliki sebagai putri Raja. Berbagai kejadian tak menyenangkan dengan teman, keluarga, anggota gereja, dan rekan kerja terjadi; dan pengaruh Kekristenan kita pun hilang.
Tuhan, kami ingin mengasihi dan memuji Engkau di atas segalanya. Tolonglah kami untuk memiliki kecantikan di dalam maupun di luar—sebagai kesaksian atas kebaikanMu. Kiranya Roh KudusMu menguasai kami sehingga pengetahuan, harta, talenta, dan kecantikan tidak menghalangi kami untuk menemui Engkau, Raja kami, suatu hari nanti.
Oleh : Iris L. Kitching
My usual pattern is to skim and bounce but this site has reset that pattern temporarily, and a stop at orientnexus maintained the slower reading mode, content that changes how I read is content with structural influence and this site has clearly nudged my reading behaviour toward something better at least for the duration of these visits.
Coming back tomorrow when I can give this a proper read, the post deserves better attention than I can give right now, and a look at singlevision suggests there is plenty more here that deserves the same treatment, definitely a site I will be exploring properly over the next few days when I can.
A clean piece that knew exactly what it wanted to say and said it, and a look at rapidnexus maintained the same clarity of intention, knowing the goal of a piece before writing is something most blog content lacks and the clarity of purpose here shows up in every paragraph for any careful reader to notice.
If the topic interests you at all this is a place to spend time, and a look at forwardthinkingnow reinforced that recommendation, the broader question of where to invest topical reading time is one this site answers convincingly through the consistent quality across multiple pieces I have sampled during the current reading session today.
Found something quietly useful here that I expect to return to, and a stop at ideasintosystems added more of the same, content with quiet utility ages well in a way that flashy hot takes do not and I have learned to weight quiet utility much higher when deciding what to bookmark for later use.
Took the time to read every paragraph rather than skimming for the punchline, and a quick visit to trendgallery earned the same careful attention from me, that is the highest signal I can give about content quality because my default mode is rapid scanning rather than deliberate reading on most pages.
Now setting aside time on my next free afternoon to read more from the archives, and a stop at progresswithclarity confirmed that time will be well spent, the rare site whose archive deserves a dedicated reading session rather than just casual sampling is the kind of resource worth scheduling around and this one qualifies clearly.
Picked something concrete from the post that I will use immediately, and a look at progressengineon added another concrete piece, content that produces immediately useful output rather than just abstract appreciation is content that earns its place in my regular rotation without needing any further evaluation from me at this point honestly.
Now planning to share the link with a small group of readers I trust, and a look at actiondrivenshift suggested more material to share with the same group, recommending content into a curated circle requires confidence in the recommendation and this site is making me confident in those personal recommendations on multiple separate occasions now.
A piece that ended with a clean landing rather than fading out, and a look at brightlifestyle maintained the same crisp conclusions, endings that resolve rather than dissolve are a sign of careful structural thinking and this site has clearly invested in how its pieces conclude rather than letting them simply run out of energy.
Worth recommending broadly to anyone who reads on the topic, and a look at momentumunlocked only confirms that, the rare combination of accessibility and depth in this site makes it suitable for both newcomers and people who already know the area which is hard to pull off in any blog format today and rarely managed.
Ended up here on a wandering afternoon and was glad I stayed for the read, and a stop at focusdrivenresults extended the wandering into a proper exploration of the site, the kind of place that rewards aimless clicking with something genuinely interesting rather than the shallow content that mostly populates the modern open web.
Looking at this objectively the editorial quality is hard to deny even setting aside personal taste, and a stop at growthpipeline maintained the same objective quality, the gap between what I personally enjoy and what is objectively well crafted exists and this site clears both bars simultaneously which is rarer than it sounds.
Now feeling that this site is the kind I want to make sure does not disappear, and a look at strategyandclarity reinforced that quiet protective feeling, the rare sites whose disappearance would actually matter to me are the sites I want to support through return visits and recommendations and this one has joined that small protected list.
Now adjusting my mental list of reliable sites for this topic, and a stop at focusacceleration reinforced the adjustment, the small ongoing curation work of maintaining trusted sources is one of the actual practical activities of careful reading and this site has earned a permanent place on my list for this particular subject.
Bookmarked the page and the homepage too because clearly there is more to explore here, and a quick stop at directionisleverage only made that more obvious, this is the kind of place I want to dig through over a weekend rather than rushing through during a coffee break tomorrow morning before getting back to work.
Found a small mental shift after reading this, the framing here is just a bit different from the standard takes online, and a look at actionshapesdirection extended that fresh perspective across more material, the rare site whose voice actually changes how you think about something rather than just confirming existing beliefs.