Do you have specific achievements that you are especially proud of? Hard work, preparation, & determination are just a few ingredients to great accomplishments. My grandmother used to say, "anything worth doing is worth doing right." In other words, to achieve anything that's worth something, you have to work hard and do it the right way. Our proverbs 31 lady has several achievements to her credit that we will focus on. First, she works hard to meet the needs of her home and invests in her household's success.
15 "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks."
In the Amplified Bible, the food she rises up early for is "spiritual" food. I see this has her preparing herself spiritually to be the best she can be. She has her own time with the Lord and what she learns in these intimate times with God, she passes along to her family. She instructs her family to have a relationship with God, not by what she says, but by how she lives her life in front of her family. I like to start my day with the Lord. I do my devotions, journal my prayers, or simply read my Bible. I have quiet time with Jesus in the mornings, I believe, it jumps starts my day. She again, plans her day assigning her maids to their tasks. I read an article recently about getting the most done every day. It suggests that you turn off media (TV, Facebook, Twiter, etc) at night an hour before bed and do not touch it again until after you have had breakfast in the morning and planning your day. although, it doesn't say it in the article, I would add devotion Time with God.
In verse 16, "She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.".
She just doesn't do the daily household tasks but looks for ways to invest resources that benefit her family. I can see her as shrewd business woman. She must research what types of fields to buy so she can plant her vineyards in the best possible soil. She also wisely fits this investment of time and energy into her regular household responsibilities. That seems so amazing that she does all of this, but it is possible, because she doesn't waste time. I think, we as a society waste a lot of time doing useless activities. I like to watch tv because I am single, so the noise makes me not feel so alone at times, unfortunately tv can captivate me, causing me to waste precious time. I challenge you to evaluate how you spend your time, what productive things can you be doing to grow as a person? Think about that this week?
Verse 17 "She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm."
Ok, I'm going to talk about it and this is one is something that I obviously need a lot of work on, but she ....wait for it ...keeps herself in shape. Ouch! Verse 17, "She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm." I see her taking care of herself, not just through exercise, but through her whole person. I believe, taking care of yourself, means getting rest, eating right, and doing things that make you happy. Women today spend most of their time taking care of everyone else in their lives, but neglect themselves. Sometimes, you need to vacate the everyday and do something that makes you happy. If you put some priority on yourself on a regular basis, your loved ones will benefit from a happier YOU!
So, to recap her achievements, we see that she has a relationship with God and pours that out upon her family. She finds ways to use her talents and intelligence outside of the home for the benefit of her home. Lastly, she spends some time taking care of herself. These, achievements our foundational to us as human beings, so my challenge to you (and me) is to evaluate this week and set goals to so you can have wonderful accomplishments.
Blessing to you all!
~Melissa
* Written by Melissa Graw, based on John Maxwell Leadership Bible text.
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