Officer On Duty

"She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

In this verse we see our woman fully entrenched in the task of household management. We've seen bits and pieces of it up to now, but now we see the whole picture. She manages every aspect of her household- it has been entrusted to her and like an officer on duty she never rests and takes her duties seriously. She is watchful at every moment, always keeping herself busy with the tasks she has before her- staying away from idleness and laziness.

Another way to put the home management of this woman is prudent. She is shrewd in her management of practical affairs and she also has the ability to govern and discipline herself. Discipline herself! We've seen in many verses prior that she does not waste time, but she also doesn't waste resources that she could use elsewhere in her household. Food doesn't go to waste, clothing doesn't go to waste, and no able bodied person goes to waste either.

I think this verse is indicative of something that most women need to work on. Somehow we have the idea that the best life is one of idleness- of sitting around eating bon-bons and watching soap operas. We think that a decadent day is one of lazing around by the pool doing nothing. I know I get into that mind frame sometimes. I'll decide to spend a day involved in a book, and while I enjoy reading the book almost every single time, at the end of the day, I haven't really accomplished much. Maybe instead of devoting a full day to something like that, I should spend more time concentrating on the tasks ahead of me, and then reward myself for a job well done with a hard-earned bit of book time. Idleness is definitely one of my areas to work on. I'll get busy on the computer and before I know it a whole morning will have gone by and I'll have accomplished nothing. I definitely need to work on that, and this verse will be one to remind me almost daily that I need to keep the momentum going. Here are some verses that show the results of not governing one's laziness.

"How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-

11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man. " Proverbs 6:9-11

"Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." Proverbs 10:4-5

" Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless man goes hungry." Proverbs 19:15

I don't want to be lazy or idle. The whole of Proverbs 31 gives so many ideas as to what I can do with my time. What I need to do is focus on what God wants me to do and go for it. I pray that he will show me how to gather the energy needed to keep myself busy every single day.