Proverbs 31 Woman: # 5

In verses 21-25 we see the Proverbs 31 woman is ALWAYS PREPARED. She does not fear if bad weather or something unexpected comes her way. Her children as well as herself are clothed and warm. What are some practical things that you can do in order to be prepared for what may come in the future? One thing that helps me is to calendar events. Now, I am very low tech, so I use a large kitchen calendar that I hang on my refridgerator, it helps me keep organized. But, in this age of Blackberries, iphones and Ipads…there are many ways and gadgets that you can use to keep up with events.

How to calendar
1. At the beginning of each year I get my old calendar out and compare it to my new calendar
2. Write down birthdays and anniversaries
3. Get the school calendar and mark off holidays and breaks
4. In order to be ready for the Christmas Holidays, I write at the beginning of November to start preparing or purchasing a family Christmas card. That way I am not caught off guard in December
5. At the beginning of each month I give myself a reminder of what birthday or anniversary cards or presents I need to purchase.

Just a little hint that you can use right now…one additional note that I have added to my calendar this year, is at the end of October. My daughter has just gotten into dress up, and I have made myself a note to purchase some Halloween costumes for her to use as dress up. I will do this a few days after Halloween this year when all the costumes go on sale at Wal-Mart and Target

In verse 26 we see the Proverbs 31 woman, SPEAKING WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION into the lives of those around her. This should encourage all of us to be pouring into another’s life. In Titus ( 2:3-5 ) we are given directions to invest in the lives of younger women.
Titus 2:3-5 (New International Version)
3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
In this passage we see how the older women should act. In turn these wiser women are able to guide the younger women in the way they should act towards their husbands, home, children and those around them.
We all have younger woman in our lives. It may be your daughter, some high school youth girls or a new mom that has just moved into your neighborhood. You can invest in this person’s life, by simply having a cup a coffee with them or being there for them when they may have a life question.

As we look towards the end of the chapter at verse 27, we see that a Proverbs 31 woman is always ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING in her world. She looks after all the ins and outs of her household. You keep the house clean, play dress up, do playdough, fingerpaint, prepare dinner and still look hot for your husband! Like my Me-Me says…A man works from sun to sun but a woman’s work is never done!! Because she is always doing something for her family or for someone else she doesn’t, “eat the bread of idleness” as the verse states. But remember…it is okay to sit down and watch Oprah with a cup of coffee during nap time!