Chapter 12 {A Little Night Work}

"When you lose everything you want, you find the only thing you need."

HER DILIGENCE

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands to the distaff.

Proverbs 31:19

OK, so, so far we've learned that a beautiful woman of God rises early in the morning, works hard all day, has her own business, and THEN lesson number 12...here she comes,  God's beautiful woman also works behind-the-scenes, and into the night.  

It's true that work, work, work and more work lies behind every success.  We are considering the wonderful success story of the Proverbs 31 woman.  Clearly this woman is a woman of diligence--ever persevering, continually industrious, and constantly busy.  

She rises early to take care of her household and continues to work at the other end of her day, too.  She puts her evenings to good use as well. 

Here are a few "How-To's"

#1:  Evaluate you Evenings--Do you know how you spend every 20 minutes of your evenings?  Answering this question can be quite an eye opener!

#2:  Plan your Evenings--Just like you schedule your days, start scheduling your evenings!  One woman did her laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and then spent 30 minutes exercising.  You don't have to be up until midnight every night.  Just stay up a little bit after the rest of the family has gone to bed. 

This time doesn't just have to be for work, it could also be for your personal interests.  Read your favorite book, look up new recipes for the family, or give yourself a manicure!

#3:  Use your evenings--It's great to evaluate, plan and prepare but you have to USE your evenings.  God's beautiful woman "layeth her hands to the spindle" What do your hands reach for at night?  A snack?  A book? A favorite video?  Your pillow?  This chapter is about diligence; it's your invitation to you and I to make your evenings productive.

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