"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Prov. 31:17 (NIV)
In the New King James version this verse reads as; "She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms" Prov. 31:17 (NKJ)
The virtuous woman vigorously goes about her daily duties because many depend on her. She is healthy and strong, exercises regularly, has a good diet and gets enough rest.
Vigorous is defined as, Strong, energetic, and active in mind or body; robust, with force. Synonyms are "active" and "healthy".
There are many women in the bible who are great examples of vigor and vitality. One that stands out is Ruth. She refused to abandon the care of her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. After the death of Father in-law, brother in-law and her husband, Ruth followed her mother in-law, Naomi to Bethlehem. Of course they were very poor. However there was hope, it was the time of barley harvest. There was a law in Israel that said the poor people could walk behind the harvesters, who were cutting the barley with simple tools, and pick up any of the stalks that the cutters had missed and it was theirs with no price to pay. Ruth knew about this and said to Naomi that she would go and find a field being harvested and glean the barley. Ruth was not afraid of hard work but she was courageous in another way as she would have to face a field full of harvester's eyeing her up and down and maybe some harassment too. But God was looking after her.
Ruth worked among the gleaners. This was a rough, rowdy group of mostly men who did backbreaking labor in the hopes of scraping up enough to feed their family. Through her many ordeals, Ruth remained a quiet, hard-working, dignified young woman who trusted in God.
The virtuous woman's inner strength and trust in God is what gives her, vitality, vigor and outer strength. She is not slothful or lazy but a great example of diligence. The virtuous woman seeks her strength from the Lord in the morning through prayer and at the end of a long day of hard work she seeks the Lord for rest.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." ~Matt. 11:28-30
Whether you're a stay at home mom, or work outside of the home, here are some of the benefits of working hard:
* Hard work brings a profit "In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty" ~ Prov.14:23
* Work done in a slack manner is as good as a piece of work which is later destroyed. Both are valueless ~ "He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer" ~Prov.18:9
* Diligent work leads to control of one's situation "The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor." ~Prov.12:24
* Work can be very rewarding "A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him" ~Prov. 12:14
Accept work as God's divine design for you. "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" ~Genesis 2:15
"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" ~2 Thes.3:10
8 comments:
oh man! i feel so convicted! gotta go iron now :(
I am a stay at home mom and at times I do feel guilty that I don't go to work, but I know I wear many hats as a mommy, taxi driver, cleaning lady etc.. Thank you for the encouragement, I will continue to work vigorously. I love your blogs. Beth
Beth I'm glad you were encouraged. I don't know what it's like to be a stay at home mom, and I can imagine it must be one of the most difficult, yet the most rewarding jobs in the world. I will pray that God continues to give you strength each day. Thank you for reading my blog.
@Anonymous; If you're going to iron, be the best "Ironer" (not sure if that's even a word??) you can be. Enjoy your task. God Bless you.
Again, you speak directly to me! (or at least it seems like it LOL :) ) Im in my new role as a stay at home mom, and I also am taking care of a couple of other babies as well for extra income. I wake up early and start my day. I wear those hats Bethany spoke about. I am busy with the house upkeep as well as tending to the children and I try to cook dinner before the hubby is home. Then I try to find time to get to the gym and take a shower, both of which is my "me" time. I feel like your blog was god's way of telling me, "you are doing exactly what your supposed to be doing".
Jessica;God has blessed you with a beautiful family, so.. Yes, you are doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. May you continue to seek the Lord for guidance, strength and rest everyday. God bless you.
The ironing comment reminded me of bible study the other day. A woman shared how she felt burdened by a new wifely task. Not wanting to have another "job" to do. Then she said she began to pray for her husband whenever she was ironing, making his lunch, etc. and it changed her heart. She also began to notice a difference in her husband as he left and returned home.
God is awesome, He doesn't ask us to do things just to do them, He wants to bless us. His plan is so much better then ours. Being obedient as a Proverbs 31 Woman has many rewards, #1 is that it pleases our Father.
Thanks Paty!
Thank you for your comment Christine. So True, God Blesses when we are obedient..and there's a reason why the word "DIE" is in the word ObeDIEnt.. its' so we can DIE to ourselves and put God first in EVERYTHING we do. God bless you sis. I still want to have coffee with you one of these days ;)
Patty! It's Porcha. Thank you for posting this. It will help me work as unto the Lord- with all the notes and clients and stress!
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