First of all, can it REALLY be November? This time last year I was counting down the last few miserable days of pregnancy, looking forward to a new life in our home! It is unbelievable she will be be one in a few weeks!
A few months ago, I offered free advertising on my blog as a giveaway. Not a whole lot of people signed up, so all of the entrants won a spot! I was excited to find a new blog writer through this contest as well- Abbi from Proverbs 31 Living. Her blog is so refreshing and sweet! Thanks Abbi, for your time in writing this post!
Hello There! Thanks Kelli for letting me write a post here on your blog. I’m Abbi from Proverbs 31 Living. I have long desired to be like the woman described in Proverbs 31 so when I decided to write a blog, I choose Proverbs 31 Living for a name. That isn’t because I am a perfect Proverbs 31 woman (Unfortunately, I am not!) but instead it is the place I tell about my journey as I strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I would love to have you visit me there!
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| {Abbi and her lovely family.} |
I’ll quickly tell you a couple other things about me and then we will have fun talking about striving to be Proverbs 31 women. Very first of all I am so incredibly blessed to be a born again Christian- there is no greater blessing! I am happy to be married to Ken who is my best friend and a wonderful provider for our family. We are blessed with 4 beautiful and energetic children, 2 girls and 2 boys. I have my dream job of being a homeschool mom, teaching music lessons, owning a wedding floral business and being my own boss so I can spend my time in the way I want whether it be gardening, sewing, crafting, making healthy food, blogging, helping at church and spending time with others.
Now, on to the Proverbs 31 Woman… I have noticed that mention of this woman can bring out some strong reactions in women. There are many of us (which is evidenced by websites, businesses and workshops named after the chapter) who are very inspired by her and then there are many that get up in arms and say “I couldn’t ever be like that!”. I think it is a matter of how you look at it. We can choose to either be inspired or we can choose to be discouraged. My choice is to be inspired and I hope you choose that as well!
11The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.
· She is a wife. Since I am married as well I can gain quite a lot from what this chapter has to say on her marriage. Her husband thinks she is worth a lot (verse 10). It is my goal to be such a wife that my husband thinks that as well. She is trustworthy(vs. 11), she seeks to do him good and not evil!(vs. 12), I think she is supportive of her husband as he works and leads (vs. 23), Her husband appreciates her (vs. 28). Ladies, I think we can do that! We won’t always be perfect at it, we will make mistakes but this is an extremely worthwhile goal and one I think we should pursue!
· A Mother. She cares for her household with food and clothing. Her children bless her for it. Sometimes when all your children are little ones, life can be hard and it seems like there is no reward but there will be. God is always watching, even if life seems hard and he cares and appreciates each of the efforts we make to serve others. As your children grow up they will begin blessing you for it as well. So whatever your stage of motherhood today- I encourage you to keep it up- keep caring for them and loving them. It is so very worth it!
· She is a hard worker! We read things like “rises while it is still night”, “brings her food from afar”, “she makes her arms strong”, “and does not eat the bread of idleness” and our only conclusion is that she worked hard. This inspires me. I think most all mother’s have to do quite a bit of work but she inspires me to think that maybe I could do even a bit more. She inspires me not to waste time on the computer (or maybe watching TV if that is your struggle), but to make sure that I get done what needs to be done instead. I don’t think this means that she never rests but still it is good to be reminded to keep busy! Again- we can do this!
· She enjoyed making things. I have to admit, I really love this part of the Proverbs 31 woman. I love creative pursuits and so hearing about her using her hands to work with wool and flax, spinning, making blankets, making clothes and belts and such always makes me want to get busy sewing or something. There are some women I know that get discouraged about this part. Please don’t! For one thing we are all different and have different strengths, some women just aren’t into making things very much. That is okay! But that said I think everybody (when you actually get to know them and look honestly) is creative and makes things in some area or another.
· She shares with others. (vs. 20) This is something that I am seeking to grow in. We do have needy people around us not matter where we might live. I appreciate this example in the Proverbs 31 because it does inspire me to do better in this area. I hope it will inspire you as well! Helping the needy doesn’t have to be complicated- It could be taking supper to a neighbor who is facing hard times, it could be donating toothpaste to the homeless shelter, it could be sending money to help those that have almost nothing in South Sudan. You don’t have to look very far to find some way to share.
· She speaks with wisdom and kindness. (vs. 26) This is the one that I am really trying to get better at! It is one that I think everyone can always improve in. One thing I am sure of is that God is the source of all wisdom. If we want to speak with wisdom we would do well to spend time asking God for it and reading His word. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and something we should always seek to cultivate in our lives. If you can’t say something kind- don’t say it. I am inspired to work on these things- I hope you are too. I hope you have found to look at the Proverbs 31 woman to be encouraging. I know that all of us can be the women God made us to be if we simply let Him work in us and are diligent. So don’t be discouraged- be inspired!
Thanks again, Abbi for writing such a meaningful and encouraging post! I know that I have learned so much from reading this post- as well as your blog.
About Kelli Hays
Thanks again Kelli, for letting me share here on your blog. Thanks also for your kind words!
What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing!