She is clothed with strength and dignity; 

she can laugh at the days to come. 

She speaks with wisdom, 

and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 

Proverbs 31:25-26

this beautiful, noble lady has confidence.  this confidence comes from her relationship with God.  she keeps her eyes on Jesus and knows there is always, always light at the end of the tunnel when problems arise.  this confidence comes from her faith in God and depending fully on Him.  this is also where she obtains the strength and dignity from.  she can laugh at the days to come because she knows, without a doubt, that her life is in God’s hands.  she knows and rejoices in the fact that God is a loving father and loves her not because of what she does but because of who she is, His daughter.  that confidence in her father is what helps her to weather any storm life throws at her.  she knows she has a bright future because of this. she knows good is coming.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

 
she speaks with wisdom and teachers others to be loving and kind, using her own words as an example. she is slow to speak and her words are like a honeycomb. she adds value to the conversations she is part of. when she talks, it’s definitely something worth hearing. and i can almost guarantee she never once referred to her husband as her “old man”.  her words were always respectful and when people refer to their spouses that way (which irritates me) it isn’t showing respect at all.    

this girl right here likes to talk, a lot. and as we can see from proverbs 10:19,when there are a lot of words there is a lot of room for there to be slip-ups. i cannot count how many times i’ve put my foot in my mouth. the proverbs 31 woman didn’t neglect her mind, she filled it with wisdom from Gods word. wisdom that allowed her to pick and choose her words carefully. wisdom of when to speak, and when to not.

this noble woman would never participate in gossip or cut others down during conversations. as women, we simply love to discuss things, especially when we can enlighten someone else about an issue that they are uninformed about. why this brings such recreation to us, i wish i knew, but this is simply the nature of women as God created us. God does not seem to distinguish between whether the information is true or false or bad. the scriptures simply say that we are a gossiper if we reveal the secret. if we conceal the secret, we are of a faithful spirit. gossip is bad. period. we disappoint God when we listen to gossip or spread gossip ourselves. we need to show God our faithfulness by not participating in the spreading of other people’s secrets.

as i’ve said before, this girl likes to talk. and i totally admit at times my conversations would absolutely be considered gossip. over the past few years, God has really strengthened my walk. through that, i’ve noticed something new occuring. when a conversation is taking a turn towards gossip, i get a little pang inside me that warns me. danger will robinson, danger. this is the Holy Spirit revealing the truth, convicing me of my sin and appealing to my conscience. and i sure need to sit up and listen.

your tongue can destroy everything you have by using careless words. we go to church on sunday, sing praises to God then leave and fight about what to have for lunch. not that i’m speaking from experience or anything. did you ever heart the saying you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to? we all need to remember that.

as Christian women, our speech should be completely different than what the worlds speech looks like. the way we speak to our husbands should look differently as well.

she had a filter and stopped herself from saying anything that wasn’t kind. her words were filled to the brim with grace, faithfulness, kindness and mercy. can you say that? i know i can’t. so many days the first thought that hits my mind comes straight out of my mouth. and this girl right here, sadly, she has a big mouth. but i am learning to control my tongue. there are times to speak up and speak truth, but seek Gods wisdom and discernment to know those times.

we need to live this life, so our children can watch us. so they will be the wives and husbands God intended them to be. so our daughters know how to act towards their husband and children. so our sons know what to look for in a wife.

out for now

~kisses

Her husband is respected at the city gate, 

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 

She makes linen garments and sells them, 

and supplies the merchants with sashes. 

this noble woman is every man’s dream. other men respect her virtue and loyalty to her husband, which can clearly be seen.  they know that this woman is a lady in the truest sense of the word.  she is an asset to her husband, and not a liability.  her husband is well respected because of the wife’s testimony.

as wives, we can have a huge influence over how the community views our husband. it is so easy to get caught up in our own interests and desires, and easily lose sight of stepping in front of our husbands socially in a community of believers. while the wife can be one who takes charge in certain things (business, tending to her household, etc.) it is the man who should clearly be the head of the household.  even though submission can be hard, especially for this girl, we really need to make it a priority.  

she’s an enabler in the best sense. she enables her husband to be a man of influence outside their home. her husband to be a man of influence outside their home because of how well she runs their home. their marriage is a joint partnership, they are both helping each other to fulfill Gods desire for them.

we see that she has yet another source of income. she sees her husbands concerns over finances and wants to help him if she can. the context of the Scripture is that a proverbs 31 woman is not a couch-potato who sits around doing nothing. we are to stay busy, using our time wisely for the benefit of our family. 

out for now
~kisses

When it snows, she has no fear for her household; 

for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

She makes coverings for her bed; 

she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 

Proverbs 31:21-22

this week we see a lady who isn’t concerned when there is a change of seasons because she is prepared. she thinks and plans ahead. she doesn’t wait until the snow flies to say “oh, we need winter coats and mittens”.  she makes sure her children never go anywhere improperly dressed. so really, when we go shopping to buy these items for our household, we are doing hard work and doing God’s work. now that doesn’t mean spend $400 on a new winter coat. remember, this noble woman is also frugal. but really, clothing is a basic need that we, as mothers, are to meet. 

clothed in scarlet means she had quality clothing. that type of dye would have really been expensive. but remember, she just also extended her hand to the poor. so she isn’t buying expensive clothing for her family at the expense of others. she obviously has money, she is not only frugal but has also planted a vineyard and sold her harvest.

she pays special attention to the place where her family sleeps and spends many hours a night. she makes special coverings for them.  now, i’m not friends with the sewing machine.  not a single bit.  but i can still do my part.  it’s our job as mama’s to make sure our family has clean sheets and a comfy special sweet spot to retreat to when the day is over.

we also see that after this lady tends to her families clothing, after she gives to the poor, after she tends to her household needs then she gets to herself. she is humble, sacrificing and puts herself last. but yet, she doesn’t neglect herself either. she knows that how she dresses reflects on her husband. how you dress, as a wife, will either show honor and respect to your husband or disrespect.  and she knows her husband doesn’t want to come home to a frumpy wife every day.  we have to remember to take care of ourselves as well.  it’s easy to get caught up in taking care of everyone else and neglecting ourselves.

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

1 Timothy 2:9-10

this coming week as you shop, as you wash sheets, as you be frugal and find sales and as you tend to your own appearance…do it to the glory of God.

out for now

~kisses