Digging Deep | Wise Woman |

Aren't you so glad that Spring has finally come? I have been throwing open the windows in the house to enjoy the warm breezes. And I've been lured out into the gardens that are in great need of work. Bushes have been trimmed, grass cut, cold weather veggies planted (peas, kale, and onion sets),herb garden tilled again, and flower beds partially weeded. We are still unpacking, though rather slowly now. It requires a lot of shifting what is here or packing up some so I can bring my own things out. But that's not what this post is about! On to our Digging Deep post for this month...



A Manager of Herself
I wanted to continue the Wise Woman Meditations I talked about last month. We learned that a Wise Woman is a Wise Manager of many areas, the Home being our focus last. This time I would like to spend time looking into the Woman who is a Wise manager of Herself.


If there were one example to follow of a Wise manager it would be the Proverbs 31 Woman. And though she may well have been fictional, she is still very much an example given to us to follow. She wisely took care of a multitude of people and jobs {her husband, her children, her servants, the poor, the merchants}.But even the Proverbs 31 woman focused on some things for herself (Prov. 31:22,25-26). In order for you to care for your family to the best of your ability and with the Lord's help you need to focus on a few things in your own life.

|1| Your Time with God

The whole point of these Digging Deep posts is to help us each draw closer to the Lord and be more like Him. To be more pleasing to Him, more holy like Him. And the Wisest woman of all is the one who spends time each day at the feet of Jesus. We must spend time in the Word, it is our manual for living.

"Strength and honour are her clothing;

and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom;

and in her tongue is the law of kindness"

Prov. 31:25-26

The Proverbs 31 lady didn't just wake up with these qualities in her life. They are character traits that must be learned. Strength of character, honor, which is garnered by living right and being respected for that. Rejoicing, thankfulness in all things, rejoicing for the future. Wise words, never harmful to others, and kindness on her tongue all day long.

To truly have the best day possible, get with Him. Beg Him to feed you from His Word, exactly what you need for each day. I've been having some rough days lately, but the wonderfully comforting thing to me is the way the Lord aligns Scripture on that day. Just what I need as a balm for my soul.
I cannot stress to you how important it is to develop a habit of spending time in the Word of God. And hopefully after finishing these posts on the Wise woman I'll get to some posts about Bible study helps. If you want a great chart for praying for you or your man check out my sister's posts here: Prayer cards for Him and Prayer cards for Her.

If you don't take anything else from today's thoughts, please know this is solely the best way to care for yourself.

|2| Your Health

I'm not a health nut in means of exercising and dieting but I do believe it is very important to take care of the body that the Lord has given you. Is it is top shape? We all struggle with some form of body image issues. I didn't ask if your body is perfect, or what you think is perfect. Can I get up on my soapbox for a minute and rant? I am so tired of hearing about this trim healthy Mama stuff. I know your point and I know you want to look good for your husband, but let's get rid of this idea of being a Supermodel Mom. Women wanting to look skinny and beautiful and like they were before they bore children. Please ,please, please hear me. There is probably some weight to lose after children, but embrace the body that God gave you, that He allowed to grow and change to bear children. Be healthy and lose weight if needed but never take for granted what God has allowed your body to do. It is a glorious process. It is truly miraculous. Ok, I'm done. Thanks for letting me blow some steam. Continuing on...
Is your body working well? Are you drinking enough water? Are you feeding yourself good things? I'll be the first to admit I have a sweet tooth. I crave sugar. A lot. I can walk by bag after bag of opened chips, but a pan of warm brownies. It's over. Step away, the pan is mine. Ok, I would share one with you. Really though, let's be intentional about eating good things. I'm the last person you want to talk to about your fad diet. I believe God created all parts of the food pyramid in moderation, yes, even fats. He gave us herbs and minerals to heal us when we are sick, and walking is still the best exercise on the planet.


|3| Your Appearance

We won't dwell her long. But the Wise Lady of Proverbs 31 took time to clothe herself well. But she was wise, she probably wove the material she used to make clothes for herself and her maidens. If you can sew that's great! It's easier to dress modestly if you can create your own modest clothing. But even if you can't sew your own clothes, take time to focus a little on your appearance. Scour your local thrift store often, I find name brand, high end stuff all the time for cheap. I bough a gray linen skirt the other day for $2.50. When I went into the dressing room to try it on, I realized it had the sales tag on it still. It was Talbots and the price tag read $80! You can dress smart/classy for cheap if you take the time to dig and scour the stores. I've tried to change over my wardrobe to be classier, even when I am just home. That may not be for you. But I do feel prettier and more ladylike when I dress nicer. (p.s. I do have some days where I wear grungy, hang-around-the-house clothes too. We can't all be June Cleaver!).

Take time to straighten your appearance before your husband comes home. This doesn't always happen, but I do try to look presentable when Working Man comes home. Most men work with slobs in the world anyway, they don't want to come home to a careless, sloppy wife. Straighten your hair, change from dirty clothes, and the best remedy for the face? Put on a smile when you welcome him at the door!

|4| Your Pleasure
Sometimes I think we feel this isn't important, and it may not happen everyday, but find something you love and do it. It may be some hand work(crochet, knit, embroider, cross stitch, quilt) that you can work on a little at a time in the evenings. You may just love a half an hour with a great book and a hot drink in your favorite chair. It could be bigger things like a shopping day or time spent in a local coffee shop (though, please don't frequent Starbucks!) But take time to endulge in something you love every now and then, something that will bring joy and refreshment to you. It's important to recharge your batteries so you can continue to serve those you love joyfully.


|5| Your Sleep

Let's just talk about this for a minute. God created bodies to need sleep. Every body needs sleep. But every person is different. Working Man, he needs a lot of sleep to be able to funtion properly. The recommended amount of sleep for most people is about 8 hours. Remember any of this from health class in school? Your body needs rest to recharge, to restore, and to fight sickness. If you have to get up early, then try to get in bed earlier. Take care of yourself, the more rested you are the less likely you are to catch seasonal sicknesses.



The Wise Manager sees the importance of caring for her body, her soul, and her spirit so she can continually be used by the Lord to minister to others. Check back next month for the last installment of our Wise Woman Meditations! Also, don't forget to check Creating Kilter and Grace Happening.

http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/" title="Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth">https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha6y_Pdvw_RiWnVRnNA-elkiKFfBsnZcoZ_EXd2WPeXd6DzNdRM4hGkCdIDxbH_TlWt1TEbbAiE7oZYgqeCNifNUvdZEHTfOfxNIyZToGAMG0-t8sH5Y8nHO_mqM6Ia8oKamJOHt9gWg/s1600/The+Art+of+Homemaking+Mondays+Button.jpg

" alt="Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth" style="border:none;" />