Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

hello. goodbye.

hello october, goodbye september
hello rustling leaves, goodbye hot summer sun
hello comfort food, goodbye cookouts
hello pumpkin flavored everything, goodbye boring flavors
hello trick-or-treating, goodbye quiet evenings
hello mums, goodbye daisies
hello scary movies, goodbye walking outside in the dark
hello fall decorations, goodbye naked walls
hello pumpkin candle, goodbye lilac candle
hello colorful leaves, goodbye greenery
hello infinity scarves and sweaters, goodbye tank-tops and necklaces
what are YOU saying hello and goodbye to?

A Proverbs 31 Woman {Week 1}

Nearly two years ago, I did a Bible Study here on the blog of the Proverbs 31 woman.  I really enjoyed going through the study with y’all and learning all that I could.  I thought this would be a great time to revisit the study and hopefully learn something new!  Each Sunday we’ll have a new post with a breakdown of a verse or two, until we make our way to the end.  It’s 12 weeks, finishing up right before Christmas.  I’m so super excited to share this study with y’all.

I have striven, for years, to serve God in every aspect of my lives.  I’ve just always had this drawing to the Proverbs 31 woman and thought if I learned more about her, that would help me serve Him better. Seems to have it all together, doesn’t she y’all? She blesses her husband, manages her home, plants vineyards, weaves cloth, helps the poor, travels to the ends of the earth for good food and apparently never sleeps. She also is dignified, optimistic about the future, always wise, and amazingly kind. I mean, it’s not like she was busy or anything.

In the meantime, here I am just muddling through. Trying to balance running kids, laundry, housework, meal prep, doctor appointments and family time. She seemed to just glide gracefully through her million things while I have a hard time juggling my few.

I want everything to be perfect. Perfectly perfect. I want to have the perfect balance, perfect marriage, be a perfect parent and run a perfect household. I want to be the proverbs 31 woman. I want to do it all and be it all.

Going through this study, I realized it’s not about be “perfect.” It’s about living life with purpose, diligence, priorities, forgiveness and repentance.

I have to say, Solomon is one of my favorite Bible authors.  Song of Solomon is among my favorites as well, even having a tattoo of one of the verses on my back.  So knowing that Solomon wrote Proverbs 31 made me super happy and made me want to learn more!  Proverbs 31 is a beautiful poem of the characteristics of a virtuous woman and noble wife. While the book of Proverbs was written by Solomon but when we come to Chapter 31, there is a new voice. It’s a mother’s voice, telling her son what to look for in his life partner. It was Solomon writing the advice his mother, Bathsheba, had given him. Solomon wrote it using his pseudonym name, King Lemuel. It’s not just wisdom given from a mother to her son, it’s God’s Word. It’s what we, as women, are to attain to. What we should strive to be.  Let’s read through it’s entirely before beginning our study.

A wife of noble character who can find? 
She is worth far more than rubies. 
Her husband has full confidence in her 
and lacks nothing of value. 
She brings him good, not harm, 
all the days of her life. 
She selects wool and flax 
and works with eager hands. 
She is like the merchant ships, 
bringing her food from afar. 
She gets up while it is still dark; 
she provides food for her family 
and portions for her servant girls. 
She considers a field and buys it; 
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 
She sets about her work vigorously; 
her arms are strong for her tasks. 
She sees that her trading is profitable, 
and her lamp does not go out at night. 
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. 
She makes coverings for her bed; 
she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 
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. 
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. 
She watches over the affairs of her household 
and does not eat the bread of idleness. 
Her children arise and call her blessed; 
her husband also, and he praises her: 
“Many women do noble things, 
but you surpass them all.” 
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 
Give her the reward she has earned, 
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 
Proverbs 31:10-31 

This week we’ll begin our study on verse 10.  It begins with A wife of noble character who can find?The King James Version has this verse as Who can find a virtuous woman?  So what would this wife of noble character look like?  When we look up the definition of virtuous, it says having or showing high moral standards and chaste.  The definition of noble says having dignity and elevation.  So set your standards and morals high ladies.

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. 
Proverbs 12:4 

The second part of verse 10 says She is worth far more than rubies. This virtuous woman is so rare that when you find her, she will be worth more to you than rubies. We are not called to be women of the world, who are very easy to find. We are to be rare and hard to find.  God attaches a pretty high value to this rare, virtuous woman.

She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 
Proverbs 3:15 

Don’t get discouraged when you read all the Proverbs 31 woman accomplished.  It’s sure easy to do reading all that.  But we need to remember these aren’t things she did all in one day. This is what she completed over her lifetime. She drew all her strength from God and He enabled her.  She fixed her eyes on Him and never looked elsewhere. Wow, what an amazing example for us to follow!

While I was doing my study, I was searching around the internet and trying to learn all I could about this amazing lady. I was shocked at some of the opinions women had of her. I saw comments like “this passage is all about women being slaves to their household and that it’s chauvinistic”. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked, we do live in a fallen world. But I’ve always saw the virtuous woman as this beautiful woman that I WANT to be.

This chickie is far from a Proverbs 31 woman but it sure is my heart’s desire to be one. I believe if you love God and you want to be a Proverbs 31 woman, you absolutely can. But the only way to do that is by fixing your eyes on Him. Get in His word and read it. Spend time with Him. It’s going to take some time and there will definitely be some bumps in the road.  There will be lots of heart work God will need to do on us to develop our noble and virtuous character.  And those moments might be ouchie.  He sure does love you right where you are but he doesn’t want you to stay there, He has much better things planned for you.

Come back next Sunday to continue our study on this amazing virtuous woman!

A Beautiful Mess {Book Review}

A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home:
Painting, Crafting, and Decorating a Cheerful, More Inspiring Space
by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman
About the book:

Step inside the world of Elsie and Emma, the sisters behind the décor blog A Beautiful Mess. With tiny budgets and a crafty, can-do attitude, they overhauled each room in their first homes with DIY projects using family photos, vibrant fabrics, flea-market finds, and affordable furniture. Now, you can learn how to paint, craft, and decorate your way to a happy, bright space with distinct personality. In the same upbeat spirit and modern style found on their blog, you’ll find fresh, all-new projects including: 

• An inspired geometric-pattern coffee table made of balsa wood
• A hand-lettered statement wall featuring your favorite quote
• A quick and easy electrical tape update for your refrigerator
• A set of beautifully designed serving dishes
And more! 

Packed with bonus styling tips from hanging the perfect gallery wall to making mismatched furniture work, Happy Handmade Home is design inspiration for personalizing your own space.

If you knew me during my scrapbooking days, you knew I had one obsession…Elsie!  You can call it girlcrushing or fangirling…nonetheless, I was absolutely obsessive about her.  At one point my friend Tanya even sent me her autograph made out to ME!  And just so y’all know, it’s still framed and displayed.  I actually contribute a lot of my personal style to Elsie.  Before I started stalking following her, I didn’t realize it was okay to mix patterns and colors.  And with her confidence, I found myself being more confident and not worrying so much what everyone else thought.  That’s why when I saw this book up for review, I just KNEW I had to review it.

I’ve been following Elsie and Emma from the getgo. And I’ve been reading their blog, A Beautiful Mess, since it began basically. I’ve loved watching them grow and expand. I love their style and am always super jealous of Elsie’s hair. And now, the girls have expanded into writing books.

First of all, I loved the photography in this book. I loved the inside look this gave us into their homes and personalities. While we do see a lot of that on the blog as well, I loved seeing all that pictures and inspiration. I’ve already gone through and thought about which projects I want to attempt myself. And I’ve passed it on to my daughter, as I’m sure there are some cool projects in there she’ll want to try.

This is the perfect inspiration book. It’s more than just a book of how-to’s. The girls have infused it with their personalities, and it’s also just a lot of fun. I also love that all of the projects are in one place, for easy reference.

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for this honest review as part of their Blogging for Books program.