Day 4 & 5... It's that kind of week.

Proverbs 31:13-14(ESV)
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

Wow... This week I'm noticing how this study is truly in perfect timing. I'm completely SWAMPED in school work from my college classes. The past two days, especially, have felt like just trying to stay above water. And guess what?... God is FAITHFUL. These verses have been like medicine to my spirit. 

She works with willing hands... Can I get a witness? How many times have we put our hands to efforts and have we done it to receive? The answer is every day. We work with willing hands from the moment we get out out of bed in the morning to brush our teeth until the second we fluff our pillows to call it a day. All day long we are working our hands to receive something in return. We are expectant. And rightfully so. 

God tells us to give of ourselves and know that we will be given blessings in return. Isn't that a wonderful thing! We can know that our efforts will pay off in the long run. Whether they are seen here in our time, or in the the Heavens, we can know that our work will be of value. 

This verse in specific has been really ministering to me over the past two days. (Time to real talk...) SO. I've let my assignments fly until the deadline was near approach because I allowed myself be busy with more frivolous things. I always promise myself that I won't procrastinate, but somehow I ignore that thought until I'm kicking myself. Right now... my face hurts from kicking myself. (Not really... But, you get the point). 

Today alone, I've had 2 exams and 2 major projects due and tomorrow I have a big research paper due and another exam. I don't have time to whip out the violin and play myself a nice "woe is me" tune. And, for that, I'm thankful! I've really enacted this verse over the past two days and put my hands to work. Tirelessly, I've been completing work and preparing for exams. And you know what? God has been so faithful to me even though I haven't been proactive until the last minute. 

The verse doesn't say that she went out and got all the flax and wool she needed right away. But what it does say is that she "works" with willing hands. "Works" is present tense. That means it's a constant effort. It's not an "every once in a while when she has some free time to get things accomplished". An attribute of the Noble Woman is that her efforts never cease. 

I want to be that woman. I pray that God continues to grow a spirit of productiveness within me and eradicates my comfort with procrastination. I want people to look at my life example and say "that's a woman who gets things done!" 

God, my prayer is for all of us as women. To work tirelessly, from sun up to sun down to benefit You, the ones we love, perfect strangers and the Kingdom. Help us to be women who get things done. Can I get an AMEN!

Evil

Day 3

Proverbs 31:12- "She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life."

Well.. There's really no skirting around this verse now is there? This morning, when I was reading this verse, I made sure to view different translations. I'm glad that I did because the wordage is really interesting here. The verse above in translated in the ESV bible, but there are many versions that use the word "evil" instead of "harm". I supposed it could be taken at surface value and ignored... but hey! What kind of fun is that!

"Evil". I know what the definition looks like in my head... but for accuracy, let's translate.

e.vil [ee-vuh l]

adjective

1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.

2. harmful; injurious: evil laws.

3. characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.

4. due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.

5. marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition. 

 

What really baffles me about this word choice in the text is the simple fact that this was necessary to be said of The Noble Woman. Are there really women out there in the world who bring their husband "wicked deeds", "suffering", that are "disastrous" and live an "evil life"...? I tend to skate along the naive side. Not because I truly believe that the world is a precious land full of unicorns, marshmallows and glitter rain... but because I WISH that wickedness and immorality weren't attributes that people had to refrain from agreeing to live with. 

Harm cuts a lot deeper when it's described in this way. And, to be perfectly honest, it's eye opening. Is it right for me to be spiteful and do something to intentionally upset, hurt or harm someone that I love? To make myself feel better? To get back at them for hurting me? To even the playing field? No... because life doesn't work that way. You can't consistantly live "tit for tat". Being willing to love someone despite the faults they've caused you is what makes forgiveness a rewarding act in the first place. 

We need to learn to do good. To inherently chose to lay down the heavy fist. In this way, we become the woman that can be trusted. We can be someone's confidence. And because of this... we can be seen as noble. It truly is an ebb and flow of small decisions leading to a bigger picture. Always choose your actions based on the bigger picture.

 

Value, Confidence & Post-it Notes

Day 2

Proverbs 31:11 NIV
"Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value."

While walking in nobility yesterday (or rather, trying to figure out what exactly that means), I was reminded of something. It's very hard to keep a challenge like this at the forefront of your mind. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. That's convenient...we have 20 days left. (I bet "they" don't know what they're talking about anyway.)

On topic of memory, I've been thinking of new ways to keep this Proverbs 31 challenge in line with my consistent vision. I'm going to put a post-it note in my car, write it on a post-it note app on my phone & put post-it's in my bathroom. (Big shoutout to the genius behind the invention of sticky mini paper!) Try this with me and let me know if you have other ideas!

Moving on!

Today's verse has a plethora of synonyms that I love! Check these out...

-NET "The heart of her husband has confidence in her, and he has no lack of gain."
-NIV "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value."
-KJV "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil."
-ESV "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain."

Confidence & trust. Powerful words. The interesting part there is how both words require each other to be true. Can we have one without the other? Think about it. If you trust in someone, you're giving them your confidence. Just the same is true for the reverse. If you're confident in someone, it's conducive of trusting them. 

In turn, the verse also says her husband has no "lack of gain", "no need of spoil", "lacks nothing of value". He knows that he can trust in her and be confident in her because she gives him nothing left to desire. She is full of value to him. With her, he is gaining. She brings him no spoil. Geeze, I sure hope my future husband thinks he's married up the way that this guy does! This man sees his blessing by way of his wife and he acknowledges the fact that she is an asset to him. Because of this... he trusts in her. It's a beautiful, endless cycle of cause and effect. Because of this... she is this. Because of her... he feels this. Isn't that the way life works. Everything we do has an effect on the way others perceive us, just the same as our perception of ourselves causes us to act out a certain way.

Today... Be someone worthy of trusting. Make yourself someone's confidence. Be a blessing and an asset to those you encounter. And make post-it notes!

What is a Woman?

Day 1

It's been years since I've allowed myself the creative freedom of sharing my writings publicly. Time to stop being selfish. 

Today marks the beginning of a handful of things that are in desperate need of it. First being, myself. It's been two years too long since I've come onto this blog to be real with myself. Secondly, today is the beginning of a deeper relationship with God. This is caused by the third beginning... A study through the 31st chapter of the book of Proverbs. 

Long awaited has been the study that I just mentioned. I have been fervently asking God to mold me into a woman that He can look upon and find delight in. I asked God, "where do I look to find enlightenment in text of what You believe a woman of the Kingdom should exemplify in daily living?" It didn't take but two milliseconds for synapses to begin firing off pictures of the words "Proverbs 31" in bright, Broadway lights.
Proverbs 31 is the chapter of text in the Bible which many revere as the passage of scripture which embodies the most virtuous characteristics of a Woman. Thinking first hand of what I can recite in my mind from Proverbs 31, I automatically start to visualize some of the most powerful and humbling women in the Bible. Esther, Ruth, Naomi... I could go on (I'll spare you the dated baby name book). But seriously... If those woman come to mind when reading the text, we're probably headed in the right direction.

"Ok, get to the point."
So, here's the main idea:
Starting at verse 10, for the remaining 22 days, we'll apply one verse every day to our lives. That means we're not simply reading this and going about every day life, unchanged. What it means is... Daily, we wake up and read the verse of the day immediately. This is with intention! Follow me here for a second... The reason why it's important to read the verse before you roll out of bed is because life starts throwing punches the very SECOND you open your eyes. Think about it-- you wake up, get out of bed to a sore back, stub your toe on the corner of your dresser, realize there's no toilet paper on the roll, drop your toothbrush in the sink & run out of coffee... By the time you're about to leave the house, you've already said "I hate today", 4 times. Can I get a witness?

Starting the day by reading the verse & actively finding ways to apply it that day will bring this passage to life for us. All of the sudden, black and white script no longer lays flat along the paper, but rather it comes to life and begins to change us from the inside out. If you're willing, wanting, or curious to start this journey with me today, I encourage you to climb aboard the noble women train. It's full of broken, humbled, searching, emptied, wandering and hopeful women. Those characteristics are something each one of us can redeem for the characteristics of the Noble Woman that God wants to show us we can be. There's plenty of room on this train... Bring your friends, your mom, your sister, your aunts and cousins, coworkers, church family, lady at the supermarket with the crying toddler... Invite people to take this challenge with you. The world could use some more noble women. 

Day one:
Proverbs 31:10 NET
"Who can find a wife of noble character?
For her value is far more than rubies."
-Things to think about:
What does noble mean?
What are synonyms interchangeable with the word noble?
Significance of being worth more than precious jewels?
How can I live this out today?

I'm excited to make this journey together! Go and be noble!