I don't know if all of you are familiar with the art of couponing. I'm pretty sure by now you've heard of these men and women who, as a hobby, try to save a much money as possible with their grocery bill. It's something that I have tried to get good at in the last year or so. Some of these people are so good at spotting a deal, watching the sales and having the right coupon that they can get a cart full of stuff for like $5. I am not kidding. I am not that talented, in fact in the last few weeks I felt burnt out by trying to save money. I asked God, "Why do I do this? What is the point?" I read Proverbs 31 last night and then some other passages in Proverbs in the last week. Proverbs 31 talks about a woman of noble character, a wife who's wise and godly. This passage about a wife starts in verse 10, it says, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
I have read this passage many times before, and each time this passage encourages me. This woman in the scriptures provides for her family with her talents, she makes sure they're clothed, warm, fed, and that her home has order. She has strength, dignity and wisdom. She brings her husband good and he in turn has full confidence in her. Most important of all she fears the Lord and because she does, is praised.
When I do things like try to save money with coupons, always scan the clearance rack of baby clothes and grab all the sales pages I am in a way providing for my family. I may not be out working to bring in money from an outside job, but I can save all the money that I can. In a way this is just as good as making money and then going out and spending more. As I do these things to provide for my family and make sure they have everything they need, maybe I will be one more step closer to being like that woman.
Truthfully, though, when I first read it, I felt like, "Who could ever live this way? How is it possible that any one woman could do all this?" My answer came while I was thinking about the passage, "You can't" came the answer, "but Christ can." I realized then and there that without Jesus as my strength, I could not be a Proverbs 31 woman. I will fall short every time, but I know that Jesus never will fall short.
What really stuck this last time is the second part of verse 25 which says, "...she can laugh at the days to come." She is not anxious or worrying about what will be. I find that lately I worry about the future. The world is such an uncertain place, and a lot of times I fear what will happen to my family in the future. But this woman does not fear, in fact she laughs at what is to come. She knows, because she is a woman of God, that when you are in the Lord that there is nothing to fear. She also has already taken the steps she needed to be prepared for whatever should come their way.
If you ever get the chance read Habakkuk, you should. He was a prophet in the Old Testament who was told by God that Israel would be over taken by the Babylonians. At first he cannot believe that God would let this happen, even if His people had strayed. God reassures Habakkuk that their enemies will be eventually destroyed, and Habakkuk sees his need to trust in the sovereignty of God and wait in faith on Him. I pray that I would take on the attitude of the Prov. 31 woman and of Habakkuk. "...yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:18
On a little different note, last night my 8 month old son took his first step. It was just one and then he fell but I was so excited to see it. He was crying at the time and throwing a bit of a fit, so I did not get a picture of him doing it again. I did post a picture of him standing all by himself the other day.
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