The Industrious Woman

Before I get to today's post, I want to share that I'll be taking a break for a few days while we travel to visit with family. I'll be back soon.

"She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night" Proverbs 31:18

After reading that this woman rises early, and then works very hard all throughout the day, it should be no surprise that she burns the midnight oil as well. In order to do what she can to bless her household and those around her, she does what she must to ensure that her trading continues to be profitable.

Again this verse hits the matter of time and time management. Rather than fritter away her time sleeping or doing something mindless, this woman uses her quiet time at night to continue in her trade. Maybe she's continuing in her spinning of flax and wool. Maybe she's begun knitting that wool into beautiful scarves, and the more she does it, the better she gets at it. And perhaps now her scarves are in demand, and that causes people to talk. And all this talk pleases her husband who hears how talented his wife is. So in an effort to continue to please her husband, the woman will do whatever she has to. In this case, she will work late into the night. So while she is making an effort to manage her time better, it is out of love for her husband that she does so.

This makes me think about the opposite. If I were doing something with my time that my husband didn't appreciate, what would I do? I do think about that sometimes. If I spent the whole day sitting here in front of the computer, I don't think he would appreciate it much. The house would become dirty, the laundry would pile up, and dinner would come out of a box. It's for the love of my husband and my God that I want to do better. I want to be a better person for him, to help enrich his life.

For a mom, this is a fairly easy verse to reconcile with. My job is never done. I may turn out the lights and hit the pillow at night, but I'm still Mom. My children may need me anytime 24/7 and I am their willing servant. I have been woken up at night for endless reasons- illness, weather, someone being scared, wet beds, or someone just wants a mommy snuggle. And despite the sleep loss, I still somehow manage to function during the normal day. So I suppose if I made a conscious effort to get less sleep, I would eventually find myself able to function well.

Yet more to think about. I'm really learning a lot about this woman, and she's really making me think. Hopefully with the new school year starting up I can take advantage of the new beginning and work on my own new beginning.