Home Help in a Nutshell

When it comes to homemaking or being a wife or being a mother we're always looking for answers.

We buy books, read blogs, talk to friends, watch tv shows all in an attempt to find encouragement and strength for the job.

There's nothing wrong with that, over the last four weeks we've been in a study about the Proverbs 31 Women and as only God could do he has delivered all of the help we need in 31 short verses.

The chapter starts out with King Lemuel, believed to be King Solomon, telling us what his mother told him about being a King, the kind of man she said he would need to be, then it continues in verse 10 with her instruction about the kind of wife he should chose.

Verse 10 says, "A wife of noble character who can find?"

She is a rare thing.

What does it take to be a wife of noble character, do you have it in you?

I think you do....listen to what God says it takes.

He said we should live in such a way that our husbands have full confidence in us.
They can trust us.
They trusts us to be true, to be wise with the way we handle money, the home, the children.
It means they have peace of mind about what's going on in the home.
They know we are  confident and capable.

God said we should bring our husbands good and not harm.
They need to be able to trust us with their reputation.
Are we protecting and helping them? Do we tell every bad thing about him and make him look bad or do we build him up? Not pretending or being syrupy but by really telling about his strengths.

The next few verses are practical, do we keep the house supplied, do the people in our homes have what they need?
Do we have food and clothing and bedding?

Do we contribute to the good of the family?
Verse 16 says this lady considers a field and buy it and she plants a vineyard.
She is industrious, she is working, she is considering, she doesn't do it lightly or impulsively.
A vineyard takes time, she is looking into the future she is preparing.
She isn't just living for today.

Verse 17 says she sets about her work vigorously, she is strong and capable and excited for the days work.
She takes care of herself and her family.

If you notice the first thing this lady does is take care of her husband, then she takes care of her children then she takes care of her home and her work and yes she has work that takes her outside of the home but her focus, her main thing is having a heart for her family.
Everything she does is an overflow from the love of her family.


Then in verse 20 she reaches out to the community.
It's a simple plan and one God knew we could handle.
We won't get as overwhelmed if we follow his plan.
Home first, community second.

We can't step out and make a difference until we've made a difference at home.

The Proverbs 31 woman liked to decorate.

She made her home lovely.
She made beautiful bed coverings and linens.

We can tell from the writing  she was from a well to do household, but that isn't the point, the point is we care for our homes if we have a lot or if we have a little.
It's about doing the best we can with what we have.

She makes fine clothes for herself, she cares about what she looks like, she doesn't let herself go.
It isn't wrong to look nice, it's wrong to be prideful or alluring with our looks but it isn't wrong to fix up and look nice.

Her husband is respected in the community and as a result she is respected.
She doesn't feel like she has to compete with him to get her own glory, his glory is part of her glory.

Verse 25 says she is clothed with strength and dignity.
When you are standing looking in the closet in the morning do you ever think about what you are putting on besides clothes?
Try actually thinking about putting on some strength or some dignity.
Dignity is lacking in our world so it would be a good thing for us to start wearing, we need to bring it back in style.
Put on faithfulness and boldness and joy.

Now when we get to verse 26 she talks.
This whole time she has been quiet.
Up until now she has been about the business of living.
She lived out what she believed before she ever started talking about it.

We have to do the same thing.
If we don't live it first no one will listen when we start talking.

Don't just say something to have something to say, have something to say when you say something.

Verse 27 says she watches.
And boy don't we watch?
Mom always knows what's going on.
If we can't see it we sense it.

Throughout the whole chapter we see her loving and serving, she cooks she cleans she encourages, she decorates, she works, she looks nice she speaks with wisdom and she works on her character.

As she ages her physical beauty begins to fade but no one notices because she has developed such a radiant beautiful spirit.

Being a woman, being a homemaker, wife and mother is a big job, when we get to the end of our days we will realize it was our biggest job, our greatest honor so let's not wait until then to realize it.

Let's stop listening to the lie Satan has told us about how home doesn't really matter.

It's all that matters.

Go look in the closet, get the strength and dignity off of the hanger and put it on.

There's not another thing in the whole world you could do today that would make a bigger difference  than that.

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

Don't let to many other people rock the cradle you were created to rock, oh someone will have to step in from time to time, but be sure it's short lived and you get right back at it.

Your home is your home, your husband is your husband
, your children are your children and God gave them to you to love, and that's one thing we can't delegate.