"In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."
~Proverbs 31: 19 - 21~
Industrious, generous and conscientious describe the woman of Proverbs 31.
She can bring home the bacon and fry it up in pan... And my first inclination is to compare myself to her and find myself wanting. I don't even know what a distaff looks like and my only experience with a spindle is when Aurora pricks it and goes into a deep sleep.
So, as I listen to God's voice, I hear Him giving me a personal version of this chapter.
She puts all of her effort and all of her heart into everything she does to provide for her family, whether it be teaching, cleaning, cooking, shopping, writing, working at the corner store or changing dirty diapers. She is focused on her tasks and does them with love in her heart.
She sees everything as a gift from God which she holds loosely and she considers the needs of others before her own.
She has no fear for her household, for they are clothed in pink snowpants, gloves, boots, snowflake hats and striped scarves.
I'll never be a Betty Crocker kind of wife or mother because that's not who God created me to be. My gifts and talents lay in other areas, but I can do my best at this job of homemaking relying on God's strength and listening for His direction.
The key component to Miss Prov 31 lady is her confidence. How is she so prepared and how can she look at the future with no fear? Verse 30 tells us she is a woman who fears the Lord. This is her anchor and this reverence for God shapes all she is and does.
If our trust is in God, we can look ahead into the unknown of our children's lives with hope and faith. We can be confident not because we have been perfect wives and mothers but because our hope is in God. I know so many women who fret about every little detail in their childrens' lives - they worry over the small things and the big things. They create safety nets everywhere to protect their kids from harm, but this woman has no fear. Her days aren't wasted worrying, pacing or wondering because is resting in God's sovereignty.
Go visit Waiting for Grace for more in other words.
Comments
Somehow this photo speaks of a simpler life than the one we think of in our American culture, doesn't it? Perhaps that is why we find ourselves somehow "less" than what the Proverbs 31 woman is...
I like your point about fear versus confidence. Perfect love casts out fear, and I must trust the sovereignty and purpose of God. It's all in His hands, and where better place for my kids / home / ministry / service / family to be?
Thanks for stopping by my site and posting a comment; I'm glad I returned the visit!
Loved the "clothed in pink snowpants..." around here, it's often clothed without shoes...
Using the gifts we have been given...isn't that what she did so well...:)
wanna be her!!
hugs to you!
lori
great post!