Proverbs 31 Woman

Have you ever read the Proverbs 31 woman scripture and felt a little lost with the 'terms' used??? Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying something negative about the B-i-b-l-e and I obviously want to strive to be like her!!! But how often do you get things from merchant ships from afar?? Haha ;0)! Anyway, in the Bible study I'm doing this scripture has been referenced quite a bit so our study leader decided to create her OWN interpretation of the things listed. This is not 'thus sayth the Lord' just something she wanted to do to help her and us better understand the scripture. I really liked it so thought I would share! Happy Monday!

Proverbs 31:10-31
A wife with noble character is hard to find and she is worth more than diamonds.

Her husband is confident in her and she brings him good, not harm.

She knows what she needs to do to make her work successful and she works with eager hands.

She gets up early to make the most of her day, to provide what her family needs.

She wisely considers opportunities and uses her earnings to further benefit her family.

She takes care of herself and is physically able to keep up with the demands of her life.

She sees that her work us successful, which encourages her during the long hours of her day.

She is generous and finds ways to help those in need.

Her household is safe and provided for, so she is not one to fear sudden disaster or danger.

Her husband is respected at his job.

She makes the things her family needs and shops for the best bargains.

She has strength and grace and she is confident that the Lord will see her through whatever challenges she may face in the coming days.

She speaks with love and wisdom and she instructs her children as she watched over them.

She knows what’s going on in her house.

She is not lazy and she does not gossip or slander.

Even though her children dislike being disciplined, deep down, they know she loves them and they praise her.

She recognizes true inner beauty and has a reverential fear of the Lord.

Let her be praised and loved!!

Working on ME…it’s a long one!

Over the past 2 months I really feel like there has been so many things presented to work on ME. Almost feels like I’ve been having ‘internal surgery’. This all started with my trip to Atlanta. Being ministered to amongst a lot of other things refreshed my relationship with the Lord. I must say that it has been hard at times and it’s easy to forget the stuff that you learn. Sort of like going to camp or on a retreat …God does awesome things but the real test comes when you go home and live your life.

The week before I went to ATL I started a Bible study at my church called ‘A Woman After God’s Own Heart’ by Elizabeth George. To be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard that the homework was going to be A LOT of scripture look up etc. IT IS! It’s a good thing though :0). Anyway, each week has a different topic…the ones that have made the most impact on me are ‘A Heart for your Husband’ and ‘A Heart for your Home’. The content in the homework has really made me think and evaluate my daily life. I’m going to touch on the ‘Home’ right now because we just finished the week in that chapter.

I’ll be honest…keeping my home is a CHALLENGE at times for me. I tend to get easily distracted by stuff. Discipline is the word I need to have more of in my life. Am I alone here?! A lot of what I’m jotting down is directly taken from the workbook for this study.

- When a woman after God’s own heart develops a heart for her home, she becomes the heart of her home. Titus 2:3-5 is the verse that we have read A LOT during this study. The command is to be busy at home…seems unnecessary on the surface. Most women are always busy; the need is to be busy doing the RIGHT THINGS.

- Examine your heart. Open your eyes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to things you may not have noticed before. Ask Him to speak to your heart about the needs of your family and how often you address them.

Walk through your home. Walk through each room in your home. If something needs to be picked up or cleaned, take a moment to do so. Pray for each person who occupies or uses that room.

Make a list. Create a list of improvements, repairs or other work needed in each room of your home. After compiling your list, gather the resources you need. Then start to work! This is what a good manager does.

Do some ruthless what-if thinking. For instance, to be a better manager of your home, what could be gained if…

You unplugged the TV on certain days?

You turned off or disconnected all phones at certain hours?

You canceled some subscriptions?

- She really stresses the importance of BEING at home. A woman who is never home can’t really keep her home. Then she asks…

Look at your personal calendar for the previous week and respond to the following questions:

How many meetings did you have?

How many outings or get-togethers did you have?

How many lunches out did you have?

How many appointments did you have?

How many evenings out did you have?

How many days did you shop or run errands?

Sometimes the drudgery and demands of housework tempt us to find any excuse to get out of the house.

In a busy, demanding world, every woman needs to have and maintain a schedule. Having a schedule and doing your best to stick to it will help you achieve God’s purposes, keep your home in good order, and provide you adequate time for the important things in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

- A woman builds a heart for her home by keeping her home a place of rest, joy, and provision. By keeping a schedule that helps us to be home more often and by devoting ourselves to essentials, we can be successful keepers of our homes.

As women/moms we need to be intentional in making our homes a safe place and a haven of peace and so many other things for our families. I am going to work on creating a weekly schedule for maintain my home. Hopefully this blog will keep me accountable to actually DOING THIS and sticking to it!!! Hope you are as encouraged and challenged as I was/am!

UGH!!

I'm so annoyed because I have not been able to find my coupon holder!!! I'm not quite as coupon savvy as my sister Jen (check out her blog!) when it comes to all her latest couponing!! I usually leave it in my car so when grocery shopping day (Thursdays) comes around I know right where it is. Well this Thursday it was NOT the case!!! UGH!!! I sure hope I just misplaced it...my fear is that I left it at the store and dropped it somewhere :0(....booooo! I'll keep you posted! hahaha

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Of course we are wearing our green today and corned beef and cabbage is cooking while I type! First time I've ever made it actually! Hope it's good.

Me and my sweet boy!

Quick update from us...I'm currently 29 1/2 weeks...WOW! This pregnancy has certainly gone by quicker than the last. I woke up Monday being all congested and stuff which was SO annoying. Hence the reason I look like death in these pictures! ;0) Dave returned home from a great time in Atlanta last week. Evan is doing well, loving being able to play outside! He is in the beginning stages of starting the Birth to 3 program for his speech/communication. We know once he starts talking he probably won't stop! Haha! It's so hard to believe that next month he will be 2! We don't have a firm name yet for Baby Girl, not that I would be posting it anyway! We like to keep the name a secret! I'm still baking goodies from time to time so I guess you could call that my pregnancy craving! Get out there and take a walk to enjoy this weather!!!!!

28 Weeks

Sorry I have been blog MIA!! Had some issues with our computer this week so was without it for days. It was sort of like a detox which was nice ;0)! Haha. I have a story to tell that happened last Monday...feels like so long ago now!!

Because I am a negative blood type between 26-28weeks preggo I have to get a Rhogam shot...basically near your butt where all the fat is! LOL! Thankfully I knew what to expect going into this pregnancy so I was prepared...I am not really one that loves shots or getting blood drawn! Anyway, off to the hospital I went to have my blood drawn again...I'm guessing to make sure I am me (haha) and then headed up to Family Birthing to get my shot which is where I had Evan. Got to see a friend who is 37 weeks preggo and lookin fabulous! The nurse took me into a room, gave me my shot and then said 'alright we'll see you in about 13 weeks!' WHAT?!?!?!?! YIKES!!! That kind of freaked me out a little to be honest!!! I think in the back of my head I keep thinking how far away May seems but 13 weeks doesn't sound that far! After all it is MARCH already...where has this year gone so far? Sigh. I was 11 days early with Evan so I think I'm hoping for mid-May this time around!

Today marks 28 weeks (7 months!!) and I'm still feeling good. Although I feel like I'm constantly eating all the baked goods I make! It's a vicious cycle I tell ya. Hoping to take a couple pics today to share :). Dave leave Sunday for Atlanta til Thurs and I wish I was going!! Haha. So it'll be just me and the boy! Have a great weekend!