Proverbs 31:19 - "In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

Proverbs 31:19

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

Hi Happy Homemakers,

Sorry for the long respite from the Proverbs 31 study.  We are really behind!  

        I love Mary Cassatt.  This is a painting of hers called "Young Woman Sewing in the Garden".  For some reason this painting makes me want to sew.  She is so relaxed.  She is not rushing through her work like I always do.  She is simply enjoying a beautiful sunny day sewing outside.  I am sure this young woman was very content on that day to have Ms. Cassatt painting her in this relaxed atmosphere. 

         Now-a-days we are bombarded with photos of woman rushing everywhere.  Of course, they look amazing...because they rush rush all day to make more money so they can wear fabulous clothes, shoes, and go on expensive vacations.  Did anyone see recently the commercial for a prepared food that shows a mother behind her desk happily looking at a PHOTO of her kids and a photo of a beautiful beach.  The commercial says something like....you spend all your time at this desk to be able to visit that beautiful beach on the screen.  It was sad to me.  She is choosing a stupid vacation over the daily care and management of her children and home.  That is how I see it anyway.  I know that when I had to work it was because we needed the money to pay bills not to go on fancy vacations once a year.  

She knew how to use her hands with skill in providing clothing for her family and perhaps others.  This verse describes a very ancient method of spinning used in the days before the spinning wheel even existed. The distaff was a staff used for holding the flax, tow or wool which would be spun into  thread by means of the spindle.  The spindle would turn and twist the fibers into threads.  [See the discussion of wool and flax under verse 13.]

The spindle was a round stick with tapered ends used to form and twist the yarn in hand spinning. The spindle and the distaff are the most ancient of all instruments used in the craft of spinning. About eight to ten inches long, spindles were used to guide the thread as it was fashioned into cloth. The weaver sometimes turned the spindle by rolling it across her thigh. 

The wool or flax was wound on the distaff, which was stuck upright in the ground or held under the arm. The spindle, which had a circular rim to steady it when revolving, was attached to the thread being drawn out from the distaff.  By rotating the spindle, the spinner twisted the thread.  An example of hand spinning is found in the ancient book of Exodus:  "And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair" (Exodus 35:25-26).

If a woman's hands are idle and if she is not engaged in worthwhile, constructive pursuits, then watch out!    "Idle hands are the devil's tools" and "If the devil can catch a man (or woman) idle, he'll set him (or her) to work."

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

Just recently I have been able to enjoy my sewing. We moved to a larger house so I have more room to set up my sewing and I also am not working so I have the time to do this activity.  It is funny how things change.  Store bought clothing use to be a big deal even 50 years ago.  Now if something is homemade people go GaGa.  I have been making aprons and selling them.  It is enjoyable work and I make a bit of money.  

I have been inspired by this woman and her resourcefulness.  However, I am really glad that I don't have to sew all day long to provided clothing like she did.  I can't imagine making my own thread!  The lesson is clear in this passage.  Be busy at home, resourceful and hardworking the devil is prowling around like a lion ready to attack and the best defense is activity!

1 Peter 5:8

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Ummm....that's scary...I better keep busy!

kisses and hugs,


Jenny

Week 8 - "She seeth that her trading is Profitable"

Good Morning,

I love this picture of this woman so happy in her pretty dress and working on something I am sure she is going to give as a gift or sell for a profit, which brings us to Week 8.

I have been at home since my bike accident in August and thinking of ways to make money so I can stay home.  I have been selling items on eBay but not sure if I am really making a profit.  After I pay for posting pictures on the site and paying for shipping costs, I am not sure I have actually made a profit.  I am afraid to actually sit down and look at it because I will be very disappointed if I have actually lost money selling all these things.  I don't think the Proverbs 31 woman would be such a baby.  She would dig right in there, find out if she was making a profit or not, then change what needed to be changed so that her business was profitable.  Oh my....again I feel the conviction....do you?

Well, this scripture is timely as usual.  The Proverbs 31 woman saw to it that her trading was profitable.  So should I, simple as that.  What is the point of doing it then, right?

Here is the write up from the Middletown Bible Church that is SOOOOO Good....and  has been a great supplement to the study I am doing on the Proverbs 31 woman.

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

Proverbs 31:18

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good.
 

The word "perceiveth" is the Hebrew word that means "taste."  Literally, she tastes that her gain is good. The same word is found in Psalm 34:9, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."  God's goodness must be tasted; it must be personally experienced.  Only those who have truly trusted Him have tasted of His goodness and experienced God for themselves.

The word "merchandise" means profit, traffic, gain received from traffic or trade.  The word is found twice in Proverbs 3:14, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold" (verses 13-14).

The godly woman purchased a field, planted a vineyard, and gave herself to this ambitious endeavor with great strength (verses 16-17).  In verse 18 she is experiencing the rewards of her labor. She finds how profitable her industry is as she experiences the sale of its product.  She sees that her trading is profitable.  She is reaping what she sowed by her diligent industry, and she is finding it to be a good harvest. She is seeing the results of the labors of her hands.  She learns that success results from her labors and she reaps the fruits of hard work.

DON'T MISS THIS PART!

Her merchandise is known to be good, and brings a ready market and a good price; and her knowledge of this is a sufficient reward of itself for her toils; for when the lazy are perpetually uneasy by their reflections on their own conduct, the consciousness of having done her duty, and the prospect of the advantages arising from it, are a constant source of satisfaction and cheerfulness to the virtuous woman (George Lawson, Commentary on Proverbs, p. 564).

This last part is my favorite.  Her satisfaction and CHEERFULNESS comes from her virtuous nature.  UMMMMMMM - I get it.  I do carry a lot of worry that my trading has not been profitable.  If I take the time to sit down and actually see maybe I will be presently surprise.  AND if I find that I have not, well then, at least I know the truth.  There is so much power in knowing the truth.  Walking in Truth is Virtuous!  Virtuous woman are cheerful and satisfied.  


This is the kind of woman I want to be.  


 XOXOXO,


Jenny

Week 6 - Proverbs 31:16 - She Considers a Field and Buys it;

 "out of her earnings she plants a vineyard."

Proverbs 31:16

Hello Happy Homemakers! 

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend as much as I did.  I got to spend a lot of time with my Mother who is a wonderful example of the Proverbs 31 woman. 

She would always be up to make us breakfast before school and was always home after school. I remember her always getting up with my Dad who was an executive with GE at the time. They would get up together at 5am and she would make him a hot breakfast, they would eat together and have coffee every morning.  Sometimes I could hear them chatting and laughing about something.  It is one of my favorite memories, my parents laughing and my second favorite is them singing happy birthday to me in perfect harmony.

What a great example I had growing up!

Now that I am a wife and mother I cannot say that I have done that as religiously as she has and still does but I am so grateful for her example in this area and many others. 

I love this next scripture!  This to me is proof that the Proverbs 31 woman was a prudent business woman.  Not only did she make her products and trade them for goods for her family.  She considers buying a piece of LAND our of HER OWN EARNINGS!!!  This is very exciting to me.  I truly believe that even as "stay at home" wives....we should be prudent business woman.  We should be using our wits to create products/services we can sell/trade to bring in money/sundries to support the family and help our husbands financially. 

Jeff and I are still in the process of organizing our finances now that he has taken it over.  What a relief to have that off my plate, I feel more relaxed already!

However, I did have to submit to his direction and at first I hated it.  But over the Thanksgiving weekend my Mother mentioned that she gives my father the receipts from her grocery or other shopping that she does.  I was amazed!!  So I vowed to do the same. 

I put an envelope on the fridge with a cute picture and labeled it Household Expenses.

This way Jeff can see what money I am spending on groceries or things for the kids.  I think it will help us to be better at communicating finances to each other.

I am feeling really good today about being totally honest with Jeff with our finances.  I am trusting God that he will work everything out because of this scripture...

^{JOHN 8:  31} To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

SO the truth is this.....that if we obey his commands we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. 

I feel FREE!

And that is an amazing feeling.

Kisses and Hugs,

Jenny

Continue reading from The Middletown Bible Church...

wisdom from 

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

The godly woman considers a field (a plot of land in open country). She doesn't do this rashly or on a sudden impulse, but she has given very careful thought to the matter. She has a plan for her family and she carefully thinks about what she needs. She decides that a prosperous vineyard would be beneficial to all, and thus she decides upon a field that would be suitable.

"She buys it." Literally, she takes it. She acquires the field, probably by purchasing it. The fact that she buys a field indicates that the godly woman was involved in financial decisions relating to the family and involved in financial transactions. From what we know about this godly woman, she did not act independently of her husband. We know that the heart of her husband did safely trust in her (v. 11), which would not be the case if his wife were running around purchasing all kinds of things without his knowledge! The godly wife, under the headship of her husband, can play a significant role in managing family finances. Some wives are very good at keeping a checkbook and managing the family budget, and it would be to the advantage of the family for the husband to delegate this responsibility to her.

How many women buy all kinds of things on the spur of the moment without giving the matter careful thought and deliberation? As she races out to the shopping mall with her friends, can her husband safely trust in her? [We also might ask, can the wife trust her husband when he goes shopping?]

With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

The purpose of the field was to provide a place for a vineyard so that the family and others could enjoy the fruit of the vine. The fruit of her hands signifies the result of her labor. To cultivate a field and to maintain a vineyard requires much labor. The vineyard was the fruit of her loving toil.

Before we buy something we need to count the cost. Before we buy a field, we need to ask, "Am I willing to work the field?" Many things that we purchase require a good bit of maintenance, and if we are unwilling to provide the labor that is needed for the maintenance, then the purchase is probably unwise. [Think of people who rashly procure a pet, not considering all the time and effort that is required to properly take care of the animal.] When the godly woman planned for the purchase of the field, she also calculated the amount of toil that would be needed to maintain the vineyard.

The "fruit of her hands" could also be understood in another way, as "the fruit of her earnings." That is, with the fruit of her hands (see verse 13) she was able to earn enough money to purchase and plant a vineyard. Perhaps she employed her servants (maidens, v. 15) to work the field or to help her work the field.

Day 3 - "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."

Proverbs 31:13 "She selects wool and flax and works

with eager hands"

Hi Ladies,

What a wonderful scripture to read on this day as it is the first meeting of the Coffee and Crochet Club.  One way to fulfill our goal of Proverbs 31 living is to appreciate the womanly art of sewing and working with our hands to create useful things for our family.
This scripture calls us to to be working with eager hands and also shopping for the raw materials so that we may be able to make the things we need for our home....if you read further in this proverb you see that this woman would make warm clothing for her family, provide clothing to the poor, sell what she made for a profit, she makes coverings for her bed, and I am sure that is not all she made...OH AND she made herself fine clothing as she was clothed in fine linen and purple.  Her family was also well dressed and warm as they were clothed in scarlet a fine, beautiful and warm fabric of the time. 

Sewing, crocheting, knitting, crafting, scraping, are all wonderful ways to fellowship with other woman and your daughters, to delight in the beauty of womanhood!

Also learning a discipline such as sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, or other skill that takes time and effort will not only create a feeling of satisfaction once the work is complete but also fine tune the spiritual disciplines of self control, patience, hard work.

Last week I selected the yarn, fabrics, and needles I would be using for this weeks projects.  I made sure to shop on the day of the sale and use the coupons I found in the mail and newspaper; saving me upwards of 30 dollars.  I will be able to make, 2 scarfs, 2 aprons, a Cloche hat, and several pot holders and hot mitts, all for about 60 dollars.  Not bad in my opinion for fine clothing, household items, and great Christmas gifts.

Below are several pictures I took of the making of the scarf and the many uses for the scarf once it is finished.

SO SOFT, Warm and Feminine!!!

Other scriptures tell us to also be busy at home. 

Titus 2:5

New International Version (©1984) "to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

I hope that you will delight in using your eager hands to making something wonderful for your friends and family, and of course, for yourself.

***This is one way that we can be frugal and save money on gifts, clothing, household needs such as; curtains,  pillows, hats, mittens, scarfs, bedding, place-mats, table clothes, hand bags, tote bags, aprons, dish towels, hand towels, napkins, and so much more. 

We can also make money doing these things thus helping us to work less outside the home and so fulfill the scripture that a woman is the keeper of the home.

Kisses and Hugs,
Jenny

Day 2 - "Her Husband has Full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value"

Proverb 31: 11-12

"Her Husband has Full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value"

Good Morning Ladies,

I really had to pray and meditate on this scripture.  Although I know that my husband loves me and believes I am a good wife, capable housekeeper, etc....there was something seriously lacking in his confidence in me over my ability to control our finances.

After MUCH inward reflection I had to stop blaming him for his feelings and look at What I was doing to cause him this stress.  To name a few.  I would not tell him about everything I purchased.  We would have some savings and then it would be gone.  He would go to the store, thinking there was money in the household account only to find his card rejected.  

WOW!  I was convinced that he had every right in this aspect to feel this way toward me.  So I decided to make some changes.

1.  I am going to report to him weekly the finances, bills paid, money spent on food, groceries, etc.

2.  I am going to SAVE so he can see that we do have a "cushion" and I can manage the money frugally.

Basically I need to SHOW him I am capable, not tell him everything is OKAY! 

This scripture says, that our husband has full confidence in us and "they" lack nothing of value.  I can guarantee that when you show your husband respect in this area.  He will have confidence in you.

My mother once told me that men are very simple to please.  They want a happy wife to come home to, good food, and sex.  I could add to that and say, they also need to know that we are capable to taking care of things while they are gone. 

Helen Adeline author of Fascinating Womanhood wrote about this and called it the Sweet Promise.  The sweet promise is an indication of Noble Character and thus is an aspect of the Proverbs 31 woman that must be discussed.  The Sweet Promise is that although men know that we are dependant on them and are fascinated by our frailty, they must also know that somewhere hidden within us is the ability to handle an emergency.  That in times of need we will have womanly courage.  That we are capable to taking care of the home, family, and their children if something were to happen to them.  (pg 346 in Fascinating Womanhood.)

For example, My husband travels all over the country on business.  I have to work harder on helping him to feel secure about my ability to manage the household in his absence.

Please visit this blog for a wonderful article on this very subject that I found via the Time Warp Wife..."31 days of Love"..Marriage Challenge which has been an amazing study.  Please check it out by clicking on the link below.

              http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/2011/11/day-20-kind-wife.html

It is Written by Ms. Joy at the Grace Full Mama blog so click on the link below to get her full article.

http://gracefullmama.com/

http://gracefullmama.com/a-kind-wife/

This is so well said.  I am sure our husbands appreciate the home cooked food, and clean organized home, however, I believe they prefer a happy, contented wife to come home to more than anything.

I hope you have a lovely day and can think of helping your husband in different ways this week.

Kisses and Hugs,

Jenny