My Journey...Part 6-Continued

The weather this weekend has been BEAUTIFUL! I love it when Stephen can play outside! On Saturday, Jeremy and I took him to the Burlington City Park. They have great kids' rides there, including a train, which was Stephen's favorite. Any time we get to spend together as a family is such a blessing! There's truly no one else in this world whom I would rather share my life with than the boys God has given me!
The last couple Proverbs 31 entries I've posted have been about the management of money. I am still learning from this myself, as Jeremy and I are attempting to find more and more ways to fit our budget. It's an adventure to say the least!
To conclude section 6 of my journey, we'll start with Proverbs 31:22, which says, "She makes coverings for her bed. She is clothed in fine linen and purple." The virtuous woman knows how to dress. She dresses according to her "place and rank." Matthew Henry commentates on her dress by writing, "Though she is not vain as to spend much time in dressing herself, nor makes the putting on of apparel her adorning, nor values herself upon it, yet she has rich clothes and puts them on well."
I then ask myself, What type dress is appropriate for me?
That's kind of hard to answer. Since I stay home with the boys, it's hard not to get into the pajamas and t-shirt frame of mind. I try so hard not to let Jeremy come home to the same me, in the same clothes, that he left earlier that morning. Yes, I should be comfortable at home. Yes, lots of times warm-up pants or jeans is my "work attire" for playing with Stephen. But I should also know how to dress well. I used to always tell the teenage girls: "You're the daughter of a King. Therefore, you should dress and act like a Princess!"=)
The virtuous woman also takes time to dress her family. Each member of the household should have nice, clothes to wear. They should, however, also be practical. A lot is assumed about a wife and mother by the appearance of her husband and kids. This idea always makes me nervous and puts more pressure on me to consider not just my appearance, but also that of my family's.
Proverbs 31:24 re-focuses our attention on the WAY the virtuous woman takes care of her family. She is able to sell to others and make money ONCE she has first provided for her family's needs. Henry writes, "Those families are likely to thrive that sell more than they buy." In other words, wise spending and saving! I so deeply desire this for us!
Proverbs 31:25 kinda wraps this topic up with "She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the DAYS TO COME." Because of both her preparation and wise care for her family, the virtuous woman is not worried about the future. She knows she has done what God commanded and trusts Him with the results. What a burden we could take off our shoulders as wives and Moms if we'd just do our part and TRUST God with the results! He wants even more for our famlies and children than we could ever dream!
As of today, I'm officially taking a break from blogging for the next week. Reba Bowman has asked me to speak at her Dare for More Conference in Gatlinburg on Friday night. Jeremy, the boys, and I will be leaving on Wednesday and riding down with his parents early Thursday morning. We will be gone til late Saturday night. I want to focus every spare minute I have on preparing for the conference and praying that God would use me. This is truly a dream come true for me, and I want God to use our family's "storm" for His glory. Please pray that the Holy Spirit's presence would be evident, and that He would guide and direct my words. I'll give you an update when we return! Thanks!=)