Oh No, It's Sabbath Again...

I ordered a book entitled Oh No, It's Sabbath again...And I'm not Ready!, because for the last few weeks my Sabbath preparations have been a bit less than desirable. I get on a roll and my clothes are ready by Tuesday and the next week I'm looking in my closet Sabbath morning for something that doesn't need to be ironed! So I ordered this book in hopes of gleaning some helpful information from someone who has been in my shoes before.

I am on chapter 1, and she is talking about the Proverbs 31 woman. She makes the point that the verbiage of the Bible and how it describes the Virtuous woman may not really resonate with us today because of how it is written, but the principle remains the same.

She rewrites it in today's terms. Here is what she says:

Who can find a woman with excellent qualities? For she is worth much more
than many BMWs.

Her husband has complete confidence in her; he does not lose any sleep.

Throughout their life together, she will only do good things for him.

She does not fear work if it will benefit her family.

She is always looking for a good sale, and occasionally she surprises her
family with a new delicious recipe

She wakes up early in the morning to get a good start on her busy day, and
she helps her family start the day right.

She thinks very carefully about how she spends her money; her financial
decisions always bring benefit to all.

She takes time to exercise and look after her health so that she can have the
energy she needs to serve her family.

She makes sure that everything she does will help her family. She keeps a
flashlight with fresh batteries nearby, just in case.

She makes clothes on her sewing machine and other articles by hand, because
she loves to please her family.

She picks out nice things to give to the Salvation Army to help the poor;
yes she is always willing to help others in any way possible.

When the cold months arrive, she pulls out blanket sleepers for her small
children to wear and enough blankets so that everyone is warm.

When she sews, she picks good -quality material that will last.

Her husband is successful on the job and in the church, because he has the
support of a wise and helpful woman.

Because of the good deals she find in the stores, she tastefully and
beautifully decorates her home without extravagance.

Her self-esteem is strong since she is in control of her household. The
future does not scare her because she knows she can face whatever comes.

She does not waste her time in gossip or in speaking nonsense. She speaks to
encourage, soothe, and strengthen. Her speech is always clean, and there is
kindness in her voice.

She is always doing something constructive and always finds a way to better
manage her household.

Her children always say nice things about their mother to others; her husband
lavishes her with praise:

"There are many fine women out there, but why have a two-door sedan when you
can ride in a Rolls-Royce!"

Being popular and beautiful isn't worth much. It is the woman who loves the
Lord who is truly valuable.

All one has to do is watch her carefully. The way she works, talks, and acts
shows how outstanding she really is.

I cannot even begin to explain how overjoyed my heart was when I read this. Not because I have arrived at being a Proverbs 31 woman, but because I can clearly see that path that God has laid out before me and I know that in His strength, I can and will be all of these things!

So if you are striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman and you have not quite arrived, fear not! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!!