The Proverbs 31 Woman: Divine Guidance or Unachievable Goal?

This is from an idea I had for a 1950s maternity photo session  (its a selfie).

The Proverbs 31 woman has created a lot of discussions in today’s society among Christians and non-Christians alike.  Many see her as the unattainable vision of a perfect wife or the ultimate set up for failure.  Women that work publicly feel sometimes it is a condemning view because they aren’t in the home trying to accomplish all of the things listed.  Many stay-at-home mothers feel lost trying to do this while taking care of the children and house and for many, run a business from the home.

Personally, I feel encouraged by the Proverbs 31 scriptures.  This has not always been the case.  In the past, I would get all fired up by doing a study on the scriptures and then try to get a plan put together  to do it all in my home.  After a few weeks or even days, I would throw my hands up in frustration because I had messed it all up, again.

I have recently been doing a few studies that focus around these topics and still working in them.  It’s hard for me to stay focused so I find that if I use more than one and go between them, it works better.  I know, it’s not normal, but neither am I!  J  Here they are:

I Used to Be So Organized by Glynnis Whitwer (book and online component)

The Proverbs 31 Woman, One Virtue at a Time (book and online component)

Pursuit of Proverbs 31 by Amy Bayliss (book)

So far, these have been really good in helping me get my brain straight as well as my heart.  Most of my time is spent in with the other two filling in when I have some extra time.  I will finish these once I am through with I Used to Be So Organized.

So where am I going with all of this?

Well, mostly I want to say that the Proverbs 31 scriptures can be an encouragement to all women!  Moms working publicly, stay-at-home moms, unmarried women, and women of all ages from teenagers to the aging. 

I do not believe anyone should feel condemned or judged by where or what they have chosen in their lives; as long as they choose it by God’s word and not by the world.

If you read the Proverbs 31 verses, you can see that she does a lot of commerce or business driven activities as well as homemaking tasks (and not necessarily all in the same day!).  I believe that God calls each of us to do things that aren’t necessarily right for others.    Our focus should be our hearts and whether they hold God’s intent and desires or our own.  When we allow the world and its standards to dictate what we are doing, then we will have problems. 

This is why I believe so many people get upset when faced with these scriptures and get defensive (and yes, I am looking in the mirror with this).  We have to evaluate our reasons for doing what we are doing and make sure the Lord has led us there and no one else.  If you are a nurse at a hospital, a teacher in the 5^th grade or a CFO in a business; God may have called you there and that is wonderful.  If you are a stay-at-home mom with a business and it is not God’s intent; then you should re-evaluate.

It is my hope and desire that women stop pointing fingers at each other and encourage one another no matter their circumstance.  I have seen too many working mothers put down stay-at-home moms and stay-at-home moms act superior as well. I pray that we can all be encouraging to one another.

God created each of us in His image for His glory!  Please help lift one another, not tear each other down.

I am about to be a mother for the first time but I have worked in one of the largest accounting firms and now I stay-at-home with a small business so I have seen each side as a wife.  I know being a mother is going to change my life, and I praise God that this is happening.  

So as we continue down the path we feel God has given us, I desire to keep Him first (and throughout everything) in my life.  This time, I am hoping not to get frustrated and quit when things don't go just right in my studies, but to say instead,  today is a blessing and tomorrow is a new day.

PS If you would think you would like to do the book, I Used to Be So Organized, let me know.  I have created a file with all of the blog post links in date order to make it easier.  J

Wow! Where did the time go?

Wow! I am 33 weeks pregnant now and only 7 weeks to go at best!   Eeekk!!  It is starting to get more and more realistic to us between time, growing belly and the movement of the baby.  We have had family come and help work on some things at the house and have been given 2 showers by friends and family.

It is times like this you see and appreciate how wonderful and giving people can be.  The Lord has definitely blessed us.  We have had 4 and 5 people that are family or like family help us replace almost all of the windows on the main floor of the house (totaling 9).  We have just finished with the inside molding and are in the touch up process after caulking and such.  Super excited to see a finished wall after 2 years of exposed windows!!!!

Here is one after the molding.

It is hard to stand by and watch though, I am used to being right in there.  I think I am still able but no one seems to want me to do anything involving tools, especially power tools!  :)  So I am the "camp cook" during these adventures.  Cooking and cleaning for everyone for three meals a day, gave me a small glimpse into the life of my great-grandmother.  I say small because I didn't go to the garden and pick or put up any food, make any soap, gather eggs or work on any quilts.  She did these things and a lot more every day.  She also kept my mother and her brothers and sister.

So, I guess in a few weeks, I will get a little closer to her life when the baby comes!  Mama Wilson could work circles around me though.  She was an amazing woman and she is missed every day.  One day, I will tell you more about her and Papa Wilson.  But until then,

Days that go Up and Down

Wow! What a day!  Twice yesterday, I got all excited and then let down.  I posted on my Facebook and Twitter a question, what do you do when you feel like the day is going wrong?

So far I have received a variety of answers, but all of them encouraging to me. 

• Moment by moment, with lots of prayer!
• Go back to bed and take a nap, or at least take a few moments to stretch and take a deep breath!
• Go back to bed, take a nap and then pray when you get up.
• Prayer!
• Take it easy!

Yesterday morning I didn’t do my quiet time for real, it was more like a sleepy email time.  I believe this is why I have been out of sorts today.  If I had taken the time to pray and read my devotion, I believe I would have handled these disappointments better.  I mean really, how important is a smartphone in the total scheme of things?  The crib is a little more important situation (we thought we had found one like we wanted for a good price), but even at that, I need to trust that God will work it all out.

My attitude directs my responses to my day and everyone around me.  My attitude is set by my heart and my heart is directly connected to my time with God.  So, at lunch we (me and the baby) took a few minutes to reconnect my heart and attitude. 

Hopefully, this will reinforce the importance of my morning quiet time in my brain.  Everyone has been saying I need to learn to take naps for when the baby is born, so a nap attempt is good too!

Well I have been thinking of starting back blogging, but had some pretty nervous moments.  I really enjoy it and it is definitely ‘good for me’ time.  But I had the nagging questions,

Can I do it and keep up with it?

Will anyone read it?

So considering all of this, I have decided to start back and this is my first venture back into the blogosphere! Yea!  I am very excited (albeit nervous) about this!

Here is a little update on our lives.  We are still working on the house but have completed a lot of it!  This does include the laundry room moving upstairs and out of the basement! Woot Woot!

We still have all 3 of our fur babies; Briggs, Shelby and Lady.  Lady is still my baby even though she has grown oh so much!  Here she is last year and this year:

Another new iron in the fire would be my job working for a local photographer.   How this came about is a post all in its own, but was most definitely God’s work!

Last but not least, we are expecting our first baby in October!!  Woo hoo! Yippeee!!  Needless to say we are thrilled! And nervous. And scared.  This is normal, right?  Being that I am a little older, I have been spoiled by having ultrasounds almost every time we go to the doctor.  I will show some of them in another post!  J

Everyone says our lives are about to change and never be the same again; they also say it is for the better even when it doesn’t seem like it.  I believe them because I have seen plenty of changes in me in the last few months!  The things they don’t warn you about!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a blessed day and see you soon!