I am inspired by the woman referred to in these verses (below) from the Song of songs. She is a woman living a devoted life, out taking care of the earth. She is purposeful, intentional and entirely devoted..... so much so that she has had no time to take care of her own face. (Imagine that!) She realises that while her outward appearance may be somewhat weathered and darkened, it is still elegant as she casts ridicule aside...not languishing over injustice or worrying about what others may think! She remains focused, determined and intentional.
5-6 I am weathered but still elegant,
oh, dear sisters in Jerusalem,
Weather-darkened like Kedar desert tents,
time-softened like Solomon's Temple hangings.
Don't look down on me because I'm dark,
darkened by the sun's harsh rays.
My brothers ridiculed me and sent me to work in the fields.
They made me care for the face of the earth,
but I had no time to care for my own face.
In the following verses she longs to connect with her beloved.... enquiring of where she may find him, almost desperate to not miss out. She longs to be wherever he is, she wants to be there alongside him. She seeks him and finds him tending his flock, longing to be inside the orbit of his love and tender care she embraces what he embraces .... with all of her being .... with all of her heart and soul.
7 Tell me where you're working
—I love you so much—
Tell me where you're tending your flocks,
where you let them rest at noontime.
Why should I be the one left out,
outside the orbit of your tender care?
What inspired you this week?
