If you have been following me for awhile, you know that The Faith Journey is my public journey of faith. I invite you to join me as I share about my growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! I pray that it will encourage you in your own relationship with the Lord.
Over the last month or so, I have been sharing my journey through Proverbs 31. I have found this to be rather challenging. It is one thing to struggle through a passage in private, but entirely another to open up to the world wide web and share what is on your heart. I feel the Lord has spoken through me in these pages. I do not mean to say it was "inspired writing" but I do feel that the Holy Spirit at times gives me the right words to express my thoughts. Last week my post on verse 14 was featured twice. That is exciting to me. It tells me that not only are you reading, but that the Lord is touching your heart through this blog, and that has always been my prayer for A TIPical Day. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. It touches me deeply and builds my courage to continue to be bold.
With all of that said, let's jump right in and take a look at Proverbs 31:15.
"She wakes up early in the morning, cooks food for her family, and gives the servants their share." Proverbs 31:15 - Easy-to-Read Version
GULP! This may be my least favorite verse so far. My husband will be the first to tell you, I am NOT a morning person. I would love to just skim over this verse, and pretend like I never saw it. But that is not what this journey is about. I already knew that I wasn't going to love everything about it before I even started to study it. If I did, I would already be the Proverbs 31 woman, and I wouldn't need to work on any of this.
Knowing I am not a morning person, I asked my husband when we first got married what his expectations of me were. Did he expect me to get up and make him breakfast every morning? Did he expect me to prepare his lunch for him? I was willing to do these things for him, but I secretly prayed he would say no. To my elation he told me that as long as I made dinner, he was fine making his own breakfast and lunch and there was really no reason I needed to get up to do that for him. So for the last 13 years of our marriage he has risen with the sun and prepared his own breakfast and lunch. There are times like holidays, vacation, and weekends that I do get up and do these things for him, not because he asked me to, but because I want to do it for him. However on the whole, he does it for himself. After reading this passage I really had to question if I needed to change this 13 year long pattern. It really has required a good deal of prayer. I just am not sure how willing I am to start at this point. I know that my attitude is wrong and I have a strong conviction about that.
After praying, I feel that this verse is about more than getting up early to make hubby his morning meal. It is about being wise with my schedule, and being flexible with my time. It is about learning to meet the needs of others and accommodate those needs to the best of my ability.
In truth, my husband doesn't need me to wake up early, nor does he expect me too, however my children do need me too. If I am honest, most of the time it is my children waking me and not vice versa. Because they are early risers and I am not, I rarely have a devotional time in the morning that isn't interrupted by one of them. I have tried switching and doing my devotionals at night but I don't focus on it as well then, so morning is when I really like to do them.
Part 1 of my challenge to you this week is to start waking up 10 minutes earlier than normal and spend that time either in prayer or in the word of God. I am going to be setting my alarm this week as well, so we can all do this together.
There is another part to this verse that I want to examine. The Proverbs 31 women tend to her servants and gives them their share. Now most of us do not have any servants, but we can still care for the needs of others. We can be observant of those around us and do what we can to meet the needs we see. In this I am asking you to be a servant. Do what you can to help others out. This might be taking in an elderly loved one or it might be volunteering within your community. This may be even closer to home though. Perhaps it is your spouse or your children that need your attention. There are so many ways that you can practice the art of servant hood. For part 2 of this weeks challenge start praying that the Lord will open your eyes to the needs of others.
For me, waking early is a challenge. It isn't easy for me to look at what my kids or spouse might need, because I am really focused on my need for sleep. I know this sounds like a lot to ask. I feel like it is for myself too, but we are taking baby steps here. I am not asking you to change overnight, nor to do it alone. Right now we are working on improving our attitudes. We are getting there ladies. So let's keep pushing onward. Don't forget to keep working on your assignments from the past few weeks. They should be becoming habits at this point.
If you missed the rest of the Proverbs 31 series, you can check them out here.
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 11
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 12
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 13
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 14
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 12
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 13
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 14
Continued Prayers,
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even sleep deprived you are keeping to your path. Thank you for sharing your lovely blog at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop xo
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine. I always enjoy looking through all the great post over at your hop!
DeleteGood for you, I applaud your determination, I am such a sleepy head that my husband knows if he wants breakfast before work, it won't be me making it! Thanks for sharing and linking up again with us at the #WWDParty.
ReplyDeleteLOL Antionette! That is exactly how I use to be...I am getting better, but still have a LONG way to go! ;)
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