An Enterprising Woman

"She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar." Proverbs 31:14

This verse brings a very good visual to mind. That of a woman, sailing from port to port, gathering food and household goods from everywhere she needs to before returning home again. And being a merchant's ship, that suggests shrewdness- she will only take the best goods at the best deal that she can find. She stays away from a poor bargain and from poor quality. She has high expectations and desires to bring only the best back to her husband and household, but the best needs to be within her means.

The dictionary definition of the word enterprising says "Marked by an independent energetic spirit and a readiness to act." The Godly Woman in this verse has an enterprising spirit and is without a doubt, energetic and ready to act. Her love for her family, her husband, and her God keeps the "wind in her sails" and gives her all the motivation she needs to maintain her energy. She is devoted, and as she is willing to travel great distances to feed her household, she is also determined. She attacks all of her tasks with equal fervor, seeing them to their completion and a job well done.

I so want to be this woman. I think that I already do a great job with some things- like cooking and keeping the dishes washed, and also in the area of caring for my children. But where I could use a little extra help would be in the daily chores that I dread. That dreaded laundry pile never goes away. Cleaning the bathrooms doesn't happen as often as it should because I really don't enjoy doing it. The general picking up and dusting slides sometimes because I don't enjoy those much either. But I will tell you that when the house is clean and in order, I fell much better- I know the end is worth it, but by golly, I could use some extra wind in my sails to see some more projects through to the end. I will have days where I attack the laundry with fervor in the morning, only to have it peter out by mid-day, and the washed laundry piles up and waits for another day to be put away.

I guess my enterprising spirit needs a little work. I need to keep the Godly woman at the forefront of my mind and attack each task as I would attack a meal. With love for my God and for my family. Love is what will be the driving force behind each task I tackle. May God provide the extra wind in my sails as I need it throughout the day.