When a woman works

A wife of noble(possessing outstanding qualities)character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Here husband has full confidence in her an lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.  She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.  She is like the merchant ships bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.  She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plans a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.  She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 

Proverbs 31:10-18

I’ve spent the month of January working every free moment I could.  As my business took a leap of faith and developed software that would allow us to serve the healthcare community in a more efficient and meaningful way, the nature of my involvement signed me up for hours and hours of work to ensure this went of without a hitch.

There were hitches.  There still are.  We are working them out.  But it meant and still means that my attention and time is given to my business and other things pass by the wayside.  I was lucky in that I noticed early on this month that there are some things that you can’t leave unattended in your life when your WORK takes over but I managed to make a SHIFT in order to bring a little balance.

I did get a massage or two, I did go to the Chiropractor, I did go on a couple of dates with my husband and spent time looking in his eyes, I did sit in the hot tub with my daughter and let her talk until we both were melting, I did manage to have some meaningful conversations with the 15-year-old boy who sleeps upstairs and eats my food, I did pet the dogs and I even ate some meals.

I did not change my sheets!!!! until yesterday(gross).  I did not clean my house, my minions did their chores but that does not equal clean in my books.  I did not give as much attention to the people in my life as I usually do. I do not think that what I am doing at work is more important than these things but it is the way that it is, and when you own(by proxy) your own business, someone has to do the dirty work and you are that someone.

As I got down on myself about not really fulfilling my Godly duties as a wife and clearly being as far from a Proverbs 31 woman then I could be, I went back and revisited the verse.  I was reminded that when a woman works, it is noble and prosperous to her family.  She is more valuable than rubies.  And in this economy not much can be compared to rubies.

I get up while it’s still dark, even when I go to bed when it is darker and I have set out to attend to my work vigorously.  I have seen that my trade is profitable and although I’m not selecting wool and flask, I am making wise choices and leading our company toward a more secure future. 

Being a Proverbs 31 woman isn’t about dainty, submissiveness.  It’s about a strong noble woman, determined to work hard and to bring blessing to her family.  It’s about bringing glory to God through loving and providing for her family.  It’s about being well-known for her good deeds, being full of integrity and wisdom and faithfulness. 

When a woman works God gets all the glory and houses don’t get clean(so you might have to hire a housekeeper) and meals might not get made every night (so you might have hamburgers and pizza more often than you normally would) and families are stretched when moms tend to their wool and flax gatherings but everyone survives.  When a woman works God orders her steps and redeems her time and as she follows Him, all are blessed.