A Woman's Hands

"...and worketh willingly with her hands." Proverbs 31:13 KJV

Working with Your Hands:

Do you want to be the "Proverbs 31 virtuous woman"? Do you seek to be blessed, praised, and have favor with God and men? Well, it's not an easy task and simple quick solution.... but rather it's obtainable by hard work.

 I was reading through this Biblical account and noticed something very interesting. "Hands" is mentioned seven times here. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection.

Here are the verses:

"13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands..." She is a hardworker. She labors and works willingly. She is industrious.

"16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard..." She is a careful worker. She invests and has a business. She is a self-starter and enterprising.

"19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff..." She does boring time-consuming housework. (Here hands is mentioned twice!) Makes me wonder if God considers... housework... to be very important. :)

"20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy... " She cares for others and wants to help them. (Here hand(s) mentioned twice again!) She has not only a compassionate heart but a willing spirit that follows through and does something about it! :D

"31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." This is the last verse of the virtuous woman account. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3 These two verses encourage me to raise my children right for the Lord. If I do so, they will be the fruit of my hands. They will praise me at the gates. If you are single or without children investing in others is laboring with your hands. They will become your fruit and will praise you.

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Go to Work, my Friend:

Laundry piling up? Dishes need to be clean? Vacuuming? Meals need to be made? Just remember God wants you to do housework and labor in love. Make dinner for another, write a card of encouragement, or give a gift or present that will bring another joy! 

Remember working with your hands is the best thing you can do to please the Lord.

Laundry Makes Me Laugh

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Matthew 6:31-32 KJV

Don't Worry, Friend:

We tend to wonder whether God really cares about us. We tend to ask whether He knows what our needs are. We are concerned about having enough food and clothes. 

But as do the MOUNTAIN of laundry for my daughters... I am reminded of the journey they took to come to me....

Before we had any children, God set the path for my parents to purchase a storage unit through an auction. You can't go into them and explore, you can only stand from the door.... and guess the contents inside and afterwards place your bid. 

In this special storage unit, my parents won...... baby girl clothes from newborn up to 24 MONTHS. There was everything from the basics like onesies to specialties like winter coats and dresses. All clean nice clothes, some even still with tags, that filled up 18 white trash bags!!! Yes, there was that MUCH CLOTHES. I have pictures to prove it.

By Faith:

When we found out we were pregnant with our eldest, we chose not to find out the gender. Yes, we had a girl: Alena! Then the next year, I got pregnant again. We chose not to find out, this time we almost gave away all the clothes to a needy single mom, but God closed that door. We had another girl, Kenni! Then the third year, we had baby Esther! 

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psa 118:8

God knew we would have daughters..... and had prepared/provided for their needs before they were born! There are clothes that each child has worn that the previous have not! Now I know why He gave me so much baby girl clothes... It was to spoil not one, not two, but three little girls! 

O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. Psa 92:5 KJV

So.... whenever I do laundry now, I laugh! ;) What an awesome God I serve!

A Big Change

Today we celebrate one week of living in our new duplex. We waited for two years for God to provide for and give us more space. It was difficult to live in our tiny apartment, but we also learned some valuable maintenance and organizing skills there. ;) We learned to be patient for the Lord's timing.

This past April, God opened the door for us to live in a spacious two bedroom duplex (2.5x bigger) in a nice neighborhood. He even provided my Bible reading area with a gorgeous view of the ocean! :D

How to Handle a Big Change:

What change might you be going through? Did you recently become a stay-at-home mom? Did you have a career change? Did you recently get married? Are you going through a break-up? Did you move? Are you graduating this year?

#1 Give yourself time to adjust

Every (big) change that we go through takes lots of patience and time to adjust. Changes are apart of life.  You will not have everything figured out from the start. That's okay. It's normal. Sometimes we need time to heal and recovery. Give yourself a break.

#2 Be forgiving of yourself and others

Mistakes may come with (big) changes. Emotions arise. Anger, frustration, hurt... sadness, pain. Breathe, my friend. Pray. Forgive yourself. Forgive others. They are going through the new change too. Be kind to them. 

#3 Find the positives/good things

Laugh for a moment. Smile. See the good around you. Be grateful for all your blessings. Name them one by one. There is something good in every change you go through. Find those! (Pro. 15:15)

#4 Seek support from others

Humble yourself and call/text a friend. (Gal. 6:2) Don't go through this change alone. Maybe they can help you. They can pray, they can provide relief or a break, they can listen... Let them. :)

#5 Learn from it/Grow through it

What did you learn from this change? How can you apply it in the future? Grow and mature in The Lord. Gain wisdom and understanding through this change.

#6 Lean on the LORD

Most importantly, pray and trust God. He knows what is best. Lean on Him. He is your best friend. He loves you and wants you to depend on Him. He can be your strength. (Neh 7:9) He can give you the relief you need.

2 Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." 

 

View from the Back Door. :)