Chapter 6 {A Fountain of Joy}

"Have enough love to give it to those who deserve it the least, but need it the most."

HER HEART

"She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."

Proverbs 31:13

In this verse, King Lemuel's mother is painting the Proverbs 31 young woman to have an ideal heart attitude towards hard work: "She worketh willingly with her hands" (Proverbs 31:13)  

The woman this mother wants for her son would be a willing worker, one who tackles her work diligently and cheerfully.  She literally puts her hands joyfully to work and makes her hands active after the pleasures of her heart.  

Many us of women do the chores in our home (I know that I mostly do!) because we have to, or it is expected us, or we are told to.  But a woman who is beautiful in God's eyes throws herself wholeheartedly into her work.  Like a fountain in the center of a garden, at the heart of its home, she joyfully sings, whistles, and hums as she work, delighting in the work that she does. 

She lives out God's exhortation in Ecclesiastes 9:10 " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

This beautiful woman's heart is a fountain of joy, she is filled with love for her God, her family, and her home. Graced by this love in her heart, she can live a life that just overflows with energy and creativity.  This powerful joy of her heart energizes her hands for willing labor.

Her joyous heart and the busy hands that it energizes transforms everything she touches into something of beauty.

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

They Don't Belong to Me....

 I love the water.  The sounds it makes as it crashes onto a beach.  The smell as raindrops come through in the form of thunderstorm.  Its cool feel as it splashes onto your feet as you walk along a shore.

So when I saw these pictures on facebook that a friend at college posted.  I fell absolutely in love with them, and just had to share.  So here are few. 

Enjoy!

{photo credits: Daniel Counterman, www.myadventurewithhim.blogspot.com}

See ya soon!

Sara Rose <3

A {Beautiful} Day in August

Today was just the perfect day for a photo shoot. It was even better with such a beautiful model. Gorgeous inside and out, I am so thankful to call this woman my mother. Thank you for putting up with me and my ideas this afternoon.

Check out her blog here at {www.sweetteaandarockingchair.blogspot.com}

 Also, the day got a little bit brighter, and whole lot happier by a phone call I received.

I have a job!

I am so thankful and so blessed to have work.

My {new} boss called me on Monday to see if I was interested in the job...Tuesday was my interview...today {Thursday} I got the job...and {next} Wednesday is the orientation.

I am so blessed!

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

Chapter 5 {A Spring of Goodness}

HER MISSION

"She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life"

Proverbs 31:12

We {as Proverbs 31 women} should not be content with merely planning to do good.  We should follow through on your good intentions!  You can choose to plan for good or plan for evil, but as God's beautiful women we are called to do good!

The following list will help our springs of goodness to gush!

A: Always contribute spiritually.  We shouldn't discourage our husband about the plans God has for him.

B: Bless his {your husbands} name.  Allow "the law of kindness" to rule your words whenever you talk about him.

C: Control your spending.  Be sensitive to your family's financial situation.

D: Discipline, raise, and train his children.  Proverbs 31 is the teaching of a godly mother to her husband's child.

E: Encourage his dreams.  Fan the flames of his personal aspirations.

F: Follow his leadership.  Eve brought sorrow of heart to her man--and to the world--by not following him.

G: Give your husband the joy of a happy home.

H: Habitually exhibit a steady, predictable nature.

I: Indulge in praising him! 

Keep remembering that the young man hearing these instructions from his mother was single, and he will be seeking these virtues in an unmarried woman!  Clearly, God's goal for all of His women--married or single--is that we be a perpetual spring of goodness.

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

Chapter 4 {An Unfailing Prize}

HER CONTRIBUTION

"So that he shall have no need of spoil"

Proverbs 31:11b

Along with the virtues that a Proverbs 31 possesses, the financial contribution she makes to her family is invaluable to her family and to her husband.  Because she herself is an unfailing prize, her husband "shall have no need of spoil."

She {E.G.} explains:

A Military Prize--The word "gain" derives its significance from the cultural setting of Proverbs.  In those days when one army defeated another, the winning ruler and his soldiers carried off the spoils of war.  These spoils were the prizes of war and comprised of wealth in a time when there was no coinage.

A Peaceful Prize--Wealth could also be obtained in more peaceful ways, without the threat of death in battle. For instance, a man could, lie, cheat, or steal; he could borrow money; he could become an indentured servant, who hired himself out for long periods of time in faraway places.

A Personal Prize--A woman who is beautiful in God's eyes determines that by her personal contribution to her husband's finances "he shall have no need of spoil".  A Proverbs 31 woman will not want her husband to lack of anything, but she also doesn't want him to be forced to leave her and their family to go to war--to endanger his life--in order to bring home spoils to pay off their debts or increase his personal wealth.  And she definitely doesn't want him to obtain them by unrighteous means.

The Proverbs 31 woman is also a warrior!  She {E.G.}  defines the word virtuous as meaning an army.  The Greek and Hebrew languages give a vivid metamorphic picture of this woman, the unfailing prize, as a mighty warrior who utilizes her abilities for the benefit of her husbands' domain.

"This startling image dramatically conveys the commitment of God's beautiful woman to her husband and his wealth and warfare.  She is a warrior of undying allegiance who dedicates her life and energies to the well-being of her husband and his household.  She battles daily on the home front so that he doesn't have to engage in war or experience a "lack of gain"!" {E.G.}

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

The Long Awaited...{Chapter 3}....A Solid Rock

I have been anything but solid in my decision to blog about my grand adventure in becoming a Proverbs 31 woman, and for that I would like to apologize.  My little brother has been gone for a week of camp, and although I made the decision to stay home this year, this past week has been slightly on the depressing side. This week was the first week of college for most of my friends, and although college had its difficult moments last year, I am missing it very much.  But, I am staying optimistic, because I know God must have something great for me this year at home. 

 Enough of my sob story. :) 

Let the adventure continue!

HER LOYALTY

Proverbs 31:11

" The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her."

Okay, yeah sorry, this one doesn't apply to me, and maybe it doesn't apply to you either.  But it will!  And so for now I am practicing these applications, on my dad!  Before going away to college, I didn't think there was a single guy on the planet that was like my father.  You know the warning your mom tells you every so often, "Your husband is going to be almost just like your dad."  Then I went to college, and believe me, there actually were guys out there with the same characteristics as the man who had raised me.  Why not start with dad?  He's had to try every single meal I make, I do some of his laundry, I {try} to keep his office clean.  Why not go to him with my problems?  I cannot tell you how many times I've gone to dad because I had no idea where else to turn.  Right now, I truly believe, that my loyalty is to be turned and focused onto my father.  If I don't learn to do that with him, how on earth would I be able to trust my future husband?

So even though the verse says "the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her."  My blog will be in reference to my dad.  :)

Rest--the word rest in the Hebrew language is actually referring to the mind where doubt, anxiety, and restlessness fester.   The heart (or mind) of a father who can trust his loyal daughter is a heart at rest and at ease.  Our father's have way to much on their minds (and hearts) to be worried about us.  He does that enough already!  Our jobs as a Proverbs 31 woman is live our lives in such a way that our fathers (and also our future husband) won't have to wonder or worry about our character, or the management of our finances, home and time!  My future husband will need me to be a steady support for him, so that he can truly build his life on the cornerstone of my loyalty.

Encouragement--Here comes the trust factor :)  The Hebrew word for trust translates "to be of good courage, to take to heart and to feel confidence."  This means that any man who is married to one of God's beautiful women feels confident by his ability to trust in his wife.  Our father's also need to feel this way about the young woman he has raised!  He needs to feel that he can trust us, that doesn't come through "You can trust me dad".  It comes through your actions, your words and most importantly it comes through your evident walk with God.  If your father, or husband, can trust in you, and has confidence in you, he can then be encouraged for the daily tasks he must go through.

Remember, Proverbs 31 is a list that a mother gave to her son.  A list of qualities for him to find in a SINGLE young woman, who had these qualities.  This isn't something that just happens over the course of our marriage, and it's not something given to us at the wedding altar. 

My mom told me a few years back that she was praying for the husband I would marry. She wants him to remain focused on God's will, pure in both mind and body, and she wants him to be the man of God that is the perfect one for me.  Now that I'm older, I've begun doing the same thing.  But, don't you think it's only fair, that if our parents are praying for a pure and focused husband for us, that our husbands' parents should be able to TRUST that we are the same for their son?

We need to be faithful, true, and constant.  We need to be a solid rock in terms of our character, our family, our relationships, and our ministry. 

So whether we are married or single, our goal should be for this priceless virtue of loyalty to be a jewel in our crown.  {Proverbs 12:4a)

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

Heritage Days {2011}

Heritage Days...the time for a town to showcase who they are.  The day started off with a parade and ended with the outhouse races.   Yes, this little town is only one of the few in the entire world that is proud to proclaim they have an annual outhouse race.  There are two groups, men and ladies, then each group is timed.  It's quite the event, let me tell you.  Everyone was out and ready to celebrate this day.  A parade, raffles, a car show, book sales, craft sale, bake tables, a few people even had their garage sales going. And then, finally the outhouse races.  All in all, a very fun day :)  I was so happy to be able to go out and photograph this day.

 I thought this family was just too cute!  The backward hats, even on the baby!  Then as you looked on the back of the tractor, there was the diaper bag.  Adorable!

See you soon!
Sara Rose <3

Chapter Two...A Sparkling Jewel

Her Value
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."
Proverbs 31:10

The author of her book tells a story of how she and her husband made plans to visit Israel.  Because she was studying the Proverbs 31 woman she added to her "to-do" list to find and admire the jewels that this young king's mother had compared the woman to. 

When she arrived in Israel she began her search for these jewels, in each and every museum she would look for them, but to no avail.  These precious stones were not to be found. The jewels. along with other items of value, had been carried away by conquering armies.  As she looked around her she noticed that the things that had been left behind was evidence of hard times for the chosen people.  People who struggled to survive, and barely managed to exist.  Everything she saw around her was stark, bleak and basic, revealing a life that was stark, bleak and basic.
She describes it soo perfectly that I have to do a direct quote to do her justice.

"I suddenly realized that God's beautiful Proverbs 31 woman was the sparkling jewel in her husband's life! She brought the love, the color, the joy, the life, and the energy to the home.  Yes, the life was bleak in Israel, and everyday life focused on just surviving in that dry, rugged land.  Food, clothing, and shelter were all-consuming daily concerns.  But, with a wife who was a sparkling jewel, a man would find life bearable.  In fact, with God's beautiful woman beside him, he possessed treasure untold!"--Elizabeth George

Even though we do not live in the hard, bleak time of the Israelites, our family's, our future husband's (if you're like me :)) are facing difficult times as our faith, and all that we stand for gets attacked from all around.  That's why, as we strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman, we have to be the sparkling jewel for our husband, and for our family.

Thank you for joining me in my journey.

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3

Chapter One...A Rare Treasure

I'm starting a new journey.  One that I hope that I know will change me, and for the better.  With all of the new changes going on in my life, I've decided to try and mold my life and my walk with the Lord, after possibly the greatest woman who has ever walked the earth.

The Proverbs 31 Woman.

Scary? Yeah, I know. 

I used to believe that this was just a "daughter-in-law wish list" that a mother had for her son.  Until I read that many daughters had done virtuously.  Then I realized that the Proverbs 31 woman wasn't some "once in a lifetime" type girl.  She was actually someone who became the model for millions of other young women, and that several others had been able to accomplish what she had done!  Did King Lemuel ever find this model woman?  I have no idea.  But I do know that today marks my journey towards becoming (or at least getting as close as I can) a Proverbs 31 woman.

So here begins my journey.  The start of a new beginning.

Let's begin.

Chapter One is a look at the Proverbs 31 woman from a distance.  An outline of who she was.

Already, at the start of the book, I've learned something new.  Now I'm not familiar with the Hebrew alphabet, but what I found interesting is that King Lemuel's mother organizes the "must have" list, in alphabetical order for her son.  This mother was a homeschooler :)  Which makes me happy.  She was teaching her son at an early age what kind of woman to pursue.

Another thing that had impressed me, was that this chapter isn't written by King Lemuel's father, or some other wise counsel given to the young king.  But rather by his mother.  She was giving her son a list of characteristics of a woman that would be needful and helpful to him as a king.  I wonder if this mother was someone who was the Proverbs 31 woman, or if she was telling her son to find someone that had been better than she had.  It's another one of those Bible mysteries I intend to solve in Heaven.  :) 

Also, much to my relief.  I have learned that this woman wasn't created overnight.  She didn't become the model woman instantly.  It took time, it took training, and I even bet that it took a lot of prayer and patience.

So, with God's help, a lot of prayer and some hard work (we'll even throw in the chocolate ;), I hope that by the end of this journey I will be half the young woman that God desires.

See you soon!

Sara Rose <3



The Love of My Life....

 Here he is...cute, sweet and talkative.  Meet my baby, Perseus Kael.  Percy for short :)

I love him to death.  I warned him on his way home that he would be subject to multiple photo shoots.

He slept through his very first one, and he is quite the cute subject.  I must say that I'm proud.

See you soon!
Sara Rose <3

Ashley Elizabeth Photo Session

Yes I know, I have slacked off on my blogging.  And I really don't have any excuses.

I just need to get my creative juices flowing and I'll blog more :)

Here's my latest photo session :)

Taken in between rainstorms and a farmer collecting his hay.  He graciously left us his last bale for our photo shoot.