Friday, February 26, 2010

Our Priority is the Home

Prov 31vs10.An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11.The 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.

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."

I believe that a wife's priority should be her and her husband's home. I don't believe a wife shouldn't go to work outside of her home, but that her priority should be the home. Even though I am a stay at home mom, I have to evaluate where my priorities are too. I can easily be entertained by TV shows, movies, friends, & horses and still be home.

A few verses above (notice, I did skip a few) that I noted while reading this tonight:

14. "Bringing my food from afar." If it's a very good price and I need it (and it's not ridiculous), I'll drive far to get it. I don't mind driving.

15. "She rises also while it is still night..." I'm definitely not at this point. Sorry Mark. ;-)

16. "She considers a field and buys it." Sometimes us wives that spend more time with house-stuff have the benefit of wisdom in related things. Not that we shouldn't approach our husbands with high priced decisions, but to know that we have the ability (and responsibility!) to learn all we can about it and bring that knowledge to the table in order to make the best decision possible. We are capable of learning about something by ourselves and helping with the decisions.

"From her earnings she plants a vineyard..." The money that she earns (*gasp* her job), she does something fruitful with it. It isn't wasted, it's used for the benefit of the family: for savings or for something the family has been hoping to get but didn't need, or maybe to start an investment in something that may make money later!

17. "She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong." I need to get back to the gym.

18. "She senses that her gain is good." I know God will bless me for my hard work. I'm not doing this for a blessing (I'm sure it's mostly to avoid the natural consequences), but because responsibility bears good fruit in every case.

26. "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." I hope one day I can come close to this, because I fail everyday.

27. "She looks well to the ways of her household and is not lazy." Am I taking an honest look at my house - is it running as smoothly as it could be, does it need some changes? What can I do, with diligence, to make it run well?

28. "Her children (and husband) rise up and bless her..." Children don't rise up overnight. But they will. There is a light at the end of this seemingly pointless, but in reality, eternal tunnel.

No comments:

Post a Comment