Thirty-one: Dawn Patrol

(This is the 6th in a 10-post series)

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 

Proverbs 31:15 (ESV)

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

    and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

 Proverbs 31:15 (NLT) 

Okay, bleary-eyed sleepyheads. Go get a big cup of coffee and your big girl pants. Before you push back from this verse because you hate getting up early and you don't have servants, let's make sure we understand what's being said. I included two translations of Proverbs 31:15 in today's post for a reason. If you look up the Hebrew word translated "portions" in the ESV,  it means "prescribed tasks".  So the NLT is actually closer to the original meaning. The virtuous wife got up early, made breakfast for her household, and made to do lists for the servants.  Now, if you're like me and you don't actually have servants (LOL!), there's still some modern application here. The point is, she had a plan for her day.  She got up before anyone else, she had a plan to feed her family and accomplish the day's work.

I don't know about you, but if I'm not the first one up in my house, my day gets off to a very rocky start.  If your mornings are chaotic, try getting up first. "But I'm not a morning person!" That's the big girl pants part.  Almost every morning, I 'wake up' the house.  I'm usually up at least 30 minutes before anyone else. I tidy up, sit down with a cup of coffee and my iPhone, check my reminders, and plan the day. That sounds kinda like verse 15 (minus the servants) doesn't it? It's not heroic, I just got sick and tired of crazy mornings. My quiet time is after everyone leaves for the day.  

Think it's too hard to start earlier? Try these simple ideas, whether you work full time or stay at home:
*Go to bed 30 minutes earlier, get up 30 minutes earlier. It works.
*Buy a coffee/tea pot with an automatic feature. Set it up before bed. Somehow knowing coffee is ready gets me moving. 
*Drink something besides just tea or coffee (not that kind of something). Dehydration makes fatigue worse. A little glass of juice or water will do the trick.
*Have a breakfast plan- this eliminates so much stress. My quick faves: Smoothies, Chocolate Chip Croissants,  Egg & Cheese biscuits, or those just-add-water muffin mixes.

Even if you're not a morning person, even if you have lots of littles in your household, mornings don't have to be nuts.  Maybe you don't have 'servant girls', but you can have a Proverbs 31 start to your day. With just a few tweaks you can run your day instead of the other way around. 

Prayer for Today: Father, help me to develop the habit of getting up first, to start my day more prepared.  Bring joy and peace to my family's mornings through me.  In Your name, Amen. 

To read the other posts in this Proverbs 31 series, go here and type in 'Thirty-one" in the search box. 

   

Thirty-one: Great Lengths

(This is the 5th in a 10-post series)

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.  She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  
  Proverbs 31: 13-14

As we continue our look at Proverbs 31, let's remember that we decided up front not to view these verses as an impossible to-do list.  Instead, we're searching for encouragement, inspiration, and opportunities to grow as women and as Christ followers. With that in mind, I hope this post will encourage you, because I know you are already a doer of today's text!

Back when this proverb was penned, I'm sure selecting wool and flax was a really important life skill. I don't know about you, but the last time I searched for wool, I was in seventh grade Home Ec.  And I actually had to look up "flax" in the online dictionary, to make sure I knew what it was...  So is there any modern application for verses 13 & 14? After studying over a dozen translations of these verses and reading several commentaries, here's my take: the virtuous wife goes out of her way to provide for her household, and works hard with a willing heart.  That's you, right?  So next time you're searching Ebay on your lunch hour, or driving to the consignment store for affordable kids clothes, pouring over the sale papers for coupons, or trekking to that grocery store across town for BOGO deals for the freezer, think to yourself "I'm working hard, going to great lengths to provide for my family! I'm doing Proverbs 31!"  

You don't want to miss tomorrow's post.  I think verse 15 is the one that talks about rising before dawn, and making sure our servant girls have a good breakfast.  Umm...yeah.  Stay tuned, ladies!

Prayer for Today: Father, thank you for the encouragement found in Your word.  Help me to always work with willing hands and heart to provide for my household.  Help me to grow, and to share what I learn with the young women in my life.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

To read the other posts in this Proverbs 31 series, go here and type Thirty-one in the 'Search' box.