I want to look at amazing passage of scripture that stands out to me in so may ways. Go with me to Proverbs 31 verses 10 -31
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
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.
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.
Who is this amazing woman so revered in the Word of God. What was her life truly like? She was not an idle woman, by any means. What sticks out to me is that she was a woman of virtue and honesty, a woman who did her best and gave what she had to give. She served her family and worked with her hands doing all she could and using what God gave to her.
I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I want to exemplify the character which this woman beheld, and I want to bless my husband, to be a helper to him and to lift him up. I want to see my children thriving because of values that were passed on but more so because they are walking with the Lord, and yes.. I want to see them fulfill verse 28. "Her children rise up and call her blessed."
I am blessed. I have wonderful children and a son who makes it his mission to call me blessed whenever he sees me. Even though they are imperfect and have flaws all their own, they are unique and complete in who God intends them to be. My mom saw that in me and my brother. She looked past the difficult aspects of my personality and embraced me. She has my alter personality.... which often caused a bit of conflict in our house. Yet, she was constant. She did her best. I am thankful for my mom and for what she gave me of herself.
She taught us to respect our elders. She taught us to love each other when we didn't want to be together. I know, now, how much she used the chance to have us mad at her rather than each other so that we never misunderstood the value of being a family. She gave up so much for us, and I realize that is not rare for a mother, but as a mother myself I see how much she really did.
I respect her for the hard choices she had to make to make sure her family was whole, as best she could. I admire the fact that she was the first to go without so that we would be blessed. It wasn't that we didn't have much or that we had a lot, but I didn't know how little she had to give till I was older. She was in essence walking by faith.
She told us of the Lord and of what she learned in her own journey. She encouraged us to ask questions and rarely did I hear her respond with impatience with my many questions, and they were many. She didn't always know the answer and wasn't aftraid to say so. She had a sweet spirit that I rarely ever saw disrupted, even when she had every right to be down.
My mother always smiled. The one vivid memory is of her laugh and smile. I was never like that and for all my life I have admired her ability to be free and unreserved with her love and joy. In all my seriousness she would always tell me, I love you like you are. ha! I used to get so upset thinking she meant there was something wrong, but she didn't.... she meant she truly appreciated who I was and what God had put in me to be.
She encouraged us to be real and to be sincere. She taught us that family is the most important relationship. She taught me of sacrificial love, and as I look at her I see how much like Jesus her love was to us: Unconditional, forgiving, and full. She rejoiced with me when something good happened. She cried with me when my heart broke. She gave me wings to fly and courage to jump. She gave me a heritage.
And now.. I need to rise and call her blessed, because she is blessed indeed. She is a gift of grace and a wonderful grandmother, a friend and a reminder of the blessing it is to have my mom close by. I am blessed to be her daughter and thankful that my children can have the chance to be loved by her,too.
So to my mother today I say, " You are blessed".
My Mom's Wonderfully Yummy Chocolate Surprise Cake.
1 box chocolate cake
1 box of chream cheese
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar
1 small bag of chocolate chips
Frosting
M ix the cake according to the directions on the box. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
Mix the cream cheese, egg, and sugar. Then add the chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the cake batter in the pan. OR... you can make individual cupcakes and then put a dollup of the cream cheese mixture into each cupcake.
Bake as directed. ( You may have to extend time with the extra, but just watch it.)
Cool and frost with your favorite frosting flavor. My mother prefers chocolate, while I prefer cream cheese frosting. :)
Enjoy!!
Here are some on-line Bible Studies and book suggestions on studing Proverbs 31.
I have subscribed to this devotional and it has been a blessing to receive new insight and heartfelt encouragement daily .
Books by Elizabeth George:
Beautiful in God's Eyes
Discovering the treasures of a Godly woman: Proverbs 31 (A Woman After God's Own Heart)
The Proverbs 31 Woman by Tiffany Chen
Donna Partow has a book called: Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be A 90 Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life
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