Becoming A Proverbs 31 Woman: 1 Virtue At A Time Week 5 Lesson 5

Week 5 Lesson 5

Vigorously Clean Your Home And Get a Bonus Workout!

Proverbs 31: 17 “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”

I could study this woman forever! She is truly inspiring! We’ve seen her work ethic , knows she rises early, works eagerly, shops wisely and produces fruit in her vineyard. The character trait in the verse above is a challenge for me! There are two descriptions of the Proverbs 31 woman in verse 17:

1. She works vigorously.

2. Her arms are strong for the task.

The word “vigorous” challenges me. When the Proverbs 31 woman works, she doesn’t get distracted by the Internet, junk mail, or television by accident in the middle of a project. She is about her work and you can bet her vineyard has NO weeds! She doesn’t just do the easy jobs she can do while sitting down – she gets into the dirty jobs with all her might. Some of the commentaries say that this verse paints a picture of her girding her loins which would be the equivalent of us rolling up our sleeves to do our work. There is something about putting on workout clothes that makes us ready for a work out! It’s the same with putting on an apron or cleaning clothes, mentally it prepares us to get down to business.  “One way that we can grow stronger or become more fit is simply by cleaning. We can burn about 200 calories walking for an hour or burn 100-500 calories by doing some deep cleaning for an hour AND an even better benefit with getting a task done! Imagine how much harder physical tasks were 100 years ago. Women had to scrub their laundry, wring it out and then hang it on a line. They had to pluck the feathers off of chickens, knead dough, wash all their dishes by hand and beat their rugs. One way to grow physically stronger is to work out – but another way simply comes through out the course of the day as you manage your home. If you don’t have time to bike, run, swim or exercise or have the money to invest in a treadmill or gym membership – you can squeeze these other activities in during the day to gain some muscle and flexibility.

 When you are lifting your laundry basket to carry up the stairs – do a couple extra lifts up and down to strengthen your arms.

 When you are mopping the kitchen floor – really push down on the mop and scrub, this will strengthen your core and back.

 If you have stairs in your home – do a couple extra trips up and down putting items away – this will get your heart rate up.

 If there is raking, mulching or outdoor sweeping to be done – do it continually for 30+ minutes to get your heart rate up and strengthen your arms.

 Weeding, window washing, vacuuming and dusting all strengthen your arms, legs and abs – and we ALL know that carrying those babies on our hips is NO easy task!  Those baby carriers are a workout! But once those babies grow into preschoolers – our arms and backs will weaken if we do not keep our arms “strong for our tasks.”

We must not shy away from hard work – it’s good for us! Working hard will help us live well with energy and vibrancy and benefit our families with a clean place to take refuge. When you look around your home – is there some work that needs to be done? Take some inspiration from the Proverbs 31 woman, roll up your sleeves, get out your tools and work vigorously!

Burning the Midnight Oil

Proverbs 31:18 “She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.”

This woman continues to challenge me. So far we have seen that she rises early, works eagerly and vigorously, shops wisely and is extremely productive with her hands!

1. Her trading is profitable. Matthew Henry’s Commentary says: “She is one that takes pains in her duties, and takes pleasure in them. She is careful no  to waste time.

She rises early. She does what she does, with all her power, and isn't easily distracted. Do you know any women who are profitable? 

2. Her lamp does not go out at night. When you are applying excellence to your work you will find that the night oil just simply has to be burnt sometimes to get it all done. My website and blog has kept me up late nights more than a few times! The Proverbs 31 woman does not watch television every night. Actually, she did not watch television any of the nights! All of the commentaries say that this was a woman who basically worked night and day. But we know she slept because verse 15 says she rises early – so she did have to rise!

Because of the invention of the light bulb we might forget that her night oil would have begun when the sun sets between 5:30 & 8:30 pm. For you & me, the “night oil” has begun when we flip our light switches on!

Don’t most of us still work in the evening? There’s dishes to do, baths to give, homework to be done, training to be done, laundry to be put away, stories to be read, and possibly cleaning if you were away during the day. Burning the night oil does not mean we stay up until after midnight working.

I know that many are night owls like I am and we get a burst of energy late at night! If that is you – and you are up working late and accomplishing much – that’s fantastic!!! But for others, don't feel badly if by 10 pm you are exhausted and ready to hit the hay “early.” That’s not early! Your night oil has been burning for hours already and if you are going to rise early as the Proverbs 31 woman does, then 10 pm is a good bed time for you.

The problem with technology is that it keeps us up way past the night oil – we are not being profitable, we are exhausted in the morning, too tired to keep our eyes open to read God’s word or pray, and cranky with our husbands and children.

Try to be profitable in the evenings. Then get your rest. Read a good book, watch a short show, stop by and visit my website (lol!) and then get to bed because the sunrise is coming!

That concludes Week 5 Lesson 5 of Becoming A Proverbs 31 Woman. Ladies please comment, remark, and participate. I always love hearing from you.  I always enjoy sharing with you guys. I open the comments area for your sharing as well. Remember, what you share may help someone else. We are all different and no two of us think alike. So, please share your thoughts, comments, and stories. If you want to reach me personally, you have the website information also the info below.

Word of prayer

Lord bless us to be able to be in tune with your word at all times. Help us to be the wives you have called us to be. Bless every woman that wants to become a Proverbs 31 woman to realize it is just an example of how we are to be. Thank you Lord for being you and the head of our lives. Amen

Thank you for visiting with me and allowing me to share this information. I will see you ladies next week with lesson 6. Hope to hear from you guys. God bless.

urbeauty4ashes@gmail.com(209) 407-1980 (call or text)

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