Being a Proverbs 31 Woman vs. 19 "Leading" - The Faith Journey #26

"She puts her hands to the distaff,

    and her hands hold the spindle." Proverbs 31:19 (ESV)

I need to be honest.  I read this verse and thought, "she does what?"  I had no idea what a distaff was and had to Google it to know for sure.  I assumed it had something to do with weaving or yarn making.  I was right.  The distaff is a board type tool that holds the flax or wool while spinning yarn or thread.  The spindle is what the new yarn/thread spins onto as it guides off the distaff through the hands.  The picture below better illustrates this.

Since this was something that was most often done by a woman, the word distaff has become synonymous with women and even has a second meaning of the female side of a family.

Most women would learn this skill so that they could make clothing for their families and on occasion they would sell what they made as well for additional income.  This was the case with the Proverbs 31 woman.  

You can almost envision her sitting among her servants spinning away.  She is setting an example with her own labor for those that work for her.  She doesn't expect them to do everything but takes an active role in her own home and business.  

Last week we talked about how she perseveres, but this week we learn that she leads.  I mentioned last week that one of my callings is to be a parent to my five children.  I also need to be leading them by example.   If there is something I expect to see my children doing, it better be something I do as well.  I can't lecture them about not doing a job completely if I am only half do everything. I can't scold them about being disrespectful to others if I am not mindful of this myself.  They will mimic what they see me do, so I better be setting the best example I can for them.

This can also apply in your work environment.  If you are a supervisor at work, and you only do the bare minimum, your employees will see this.  What type of work do you think they will produce for someone that doesn't seem to care about the company?  You can bet that if you don't work hard, they most likely will not either.

This week I challenge you to examine what kind of leader you are to those around you?  Are you setting the standard for what you expect from those around you?  If your are not, what do you need to be doing differently?

Read the rest of the Proverbs 31 series here.

Being a Proverbs 31 Woman in Today's Culture

Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 10

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. 15
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 16
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 17
Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Review - Vs. 1-17

Being a Proverbs 31 Woman Vs. 18