"She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies sashes for the merchants."
Proverbs 31:24
We are privileged to be living in a western culture. Let us have a look at how a typical day goes:
The alarm clock wakes us up, maybe more than once because we have a convenient lazy tool called the 'snooze button'. We switch the lamp on. In our own time, we force ourselves to get out of bed and walk a few meters to the bathroom. We turn on the tap, wait a minute until the water is the desired warm temperature and flow. We lather ourselves in all sorts of soaps and oils. We reach out to our lovely bought fluffy towel and head towards our large wardrobes. We open the door and view the piles of bought clothing and shoes. We change. Off to the kitchen we go, we switch the kettle on, grab cereal, open long life box milk and eat. We may open a carton of yogurt and a bottle of fresh fruit juice. Eventually when ready, we grab car keys, lock the house up, set the alarm and ride to our destination in our air conditioned car!
The rest of the day consists of instant coffee, restaurants, coffee shops, quick meals, cell phones, email, Internet, computers, printers, hairdressers, doggy parlors, clothing stores, fridges, light switches, toilets, the list goes on.
The Proverbs 31 woman did not have all these luxuries! She was forced to get up much earlier and do everything herself. Let us have a peak at what her live may have looked like.
Wake herself up, ensure that the lamps did not run out of oil. Ensure that the outside "sewerage system" was functional and clean. She walked far to get water, she had to make a fire to heat the water, make soap for the family to clean themselves with, make the towels for everyone to use, make all the clothes and even maybe the shoes. Grow the oats and cook it, milk the cow or get fresh milk from nearby, make the bread, walk to her destinations. Make all her food by hand and from scratch, plan carefully and ahead as there were no phones, post letters weeks in advance, seek out learned men and woman when requiring information, write everything out, cut every ones hair, groom animals and keep food fresh with out a fridge. This list keeps on going!
Today, we really do not have anything to complain about!
The TRUTH: We have become lazy
Can you see how much harder the woman had to work years ago? Woman in third world countries still live as most did a few hundred years ago. I have to say that all our luxuries have made us lazy. Its hard to admit but it is so true. I have heard it sad that all our new technology makes our mundane chores quicker and easier so that we have more time to do other things. This statement could be true. BUT, because all the hard work is done by our machines, we become lethargic and we place our newly found spare time into more "me time". As a result, we become lazy, we misuse our time and we forget how valuable time is.
"Look carefully the hoe how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" Ephesians 5:15-17
The LIE: We don't have to go back to the past when new technology is improving our lifestyle!
How do we explain to woman today, that it is important to work hard for her family. Why should woman today have to work so hard? We are so used to just running down to the shops and buying what we need.
The answer lies in the fact that we have to be realistic and remind ourselves of the world that we live in today. A materialistic world! A world which is forgetting God, feminism is getting stronger and people have strayed so far from the truth of God's word in knowledge and in deed!
The result of luxurious living
I would say that our priorities have become selfish. Wealth has caused us to be self centered and lazy! That is the hard reality of materialism. We begin to live for ourselves. We do not extend our hand to the poor and needy as we ought. We do not depend on the Lord for our basic daily needs.
In the light of our materialism, our laziness and the forgotten art of a hard working woman, we stop and ponder why we have to do all the hard work when it is already done by someone else, but with a high price. Where is the link to being a Proverbs 31 woman in a materialistic world?
The link is simply this. Love the Lord your God and to love your neighbors. If we are driven by the materialistic world, we will be self orientated in many ways. If we are driven by the love of the Lord, our situation would be much different. We would sacrifice many convenient ways of doing things in order to produce more by the sweat of our brow to be able to reach out our hands to the needs around us.
God's Providence
God has ordained a recession. Our finances are getting tight, we are panicking as we are battling to make ends meet. In many cases, we are unable to buy what we need and see as necessities. The recession has brought many to their knees! We are in desperate need of Godly wisdom!
The more that I think about our current economic situation from a biblical view of a Proverbs 31 woman. I see our need to return to Gods design of a true biblical woman. Our materialistic world has distorted and even destroyed biblical womanhood. Materialism has fueled the feminist movement!
It is imperative that our dependency is in God and not our materialism and our selfishness. I have realised through our study that if I apply myself more and get my hands dirty. My family will benefit so much more. Let me explain and give some brief simple examples.
My budget for veggies were at a minimum. We managed to get through the week with a few meals with some veggies. Now that the "veggie patch" at the back of the garden is underway, we are going to be able to have all sorts of lovely, unmodified, organic, delicious veggies and fruit to eat. Lord wiling! Fresh garlic, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, onions, butternut,onions, gem squash, radish, carrots, patty pans, strawberries, gooseberries, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, may types of mint and the list can go on. It can cost a little to get things going but once I get into the hang of the veggie and herb gardening, I will be able to continue growing without having to buy seed!
Then there are eggs which were becoming a luxury with the prices getting sky high. My dad made a plan with a friend who owns a large plot to buy chickens and share the eggs. There will soon be an abundance of eggs. Real eggs, eggs which are actually free range (not like the shop varieties!) They have the beautiful golden yellow yolk. Delicious and much more healthier!
I have to conclude that I am grateful that money has become tight due to the recession. It has certainly forced me to become more industrious at home. It has also made me appreciate the Proverbs 31 woman more!
How will the recession affect our daily lives
Now in regard to our industrious woman seen in Proverbs 31:24, she is a woman working hard at home with not many luxuries that we have today. Let the recession cause you to rethink how you do things at home. Once our mind set is changed from an instant world to a 'sweat from the brow' world. Our priorities will change.
We will have to do a large amount of research to learn how to make bath oils, make clothing, make candles etc. As we learn individually and apply ourselves, we will start to help one another a lot more. We will start discovering our God given womanly talents and abilities. We will start to realise that people around us maybe battling to get something done and you can help. This is how we become industrious. We also start loving in the way that God has intended us to love each other by helping each other by deed and not just by word. You will also notice another thing, when you have to work hard at the simple things in life, you are sensitive to those around you who are poor and needy.
"For this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brother. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him,, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
1 John 3:16-18
Life indeed has become to fast and instant and we have become lazy in all spheres. I can see a facet of God's providence in the current recession that we find ourselves in. Let us praise the Lord for what we have. Let us carefully examine where we can ditch the fast, easy, costly and search for a slower, harder and cheaper way of doing things. Let us use what we have to glorify the Lord. By Gods grace, let us teach, bless and love others with the work of our hands. The Lord will bless the abilities that He has given you. Be faithful in using them and praise the Lord if any goods or money is given to you for your hard work, your industry which is God centered, home based and blessed!
So is a recession in our day and age a blessing? Of course!
Discussion question: How doe the recession impact the feminist movement?
Developing Godly excellence by Elizabeth George (1)
We are most generally in charge of the choices we make. What are some of those choices illustrated in these proverbs and what principle(s) does each teach us:
* Proverbs 6:9-11
* Proverbs 10:4
* Proverbs 12:11
* Proverbs 14:23
* Proverbs 18:9
* Proverbs 28:19
* Proverbs 31:27
_____________________________________________________
Sources used:
(1) Discovering the treasure of a Godly woman by Elizabeth George. pg96,97
Written by Natalie Rogers
