The Walls

The walls are the answer to the last post, the roof. The walls are what hold the roof up and in doing so create a balanced relationship. Let me explain; while our husbands shield us we need to create a place he can come to, to recharge his "batteries".

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
   and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
   bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
   she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants. 
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks. 

We create a place of comfort, beauty, peace, and encouragement. As he goes out into the world he encounters a lot of pressure, stress, and if has any principals, moral views or beliefs that don't fit into the typical world view, he will be scorned. We now need to safeguard him in that place he comes to at the end of the day. A haven in both the outward (comfort, order and beauty) and as his partner ( a gracious and loving spouse) always ready to support and listen to him. I have a funny story I will share next time I write on the walls...just watch for the fireplace picture:-). God bless

The Roof

 

Well, I am going to start with the top of our house, the roof.  The roof is very important (obviously), keeping the rest of the house dry, warm, protected. But as we all know roofs need regular care because of the constant abuse they take. 

As I think of Proverbs 31 as a house I thought of the roof as our husbands. God created a family to be headed by the man, not because they are better but because God made them studier. They are able to go out into the world and see suffering and the darkness and still function, but all the better when they come home to a loving and supportive family. They shield us from so much, so in return the wife must maintain an affirming love, building him up, taking care of his mental health and physical needs with love and graciousness. 

^{Proverbs 31:10-12}

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? 

                                                     She is worth far more than rubies. 

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her

    and lacks nothing of value.

 ¹² She brings him good, not harm, 

   all the days of her life.


In this tours we will be looking at the role of a wife as God created, our culture says something totally different and we will explore those differences as well.

The Floor Plans

Every house can be broken down into different parts; the roof, walls, windows, doors, foundation (as the wife of a former contractor I know I am putting this painfully simply) then by adding comfy furniture and a beautiful yard, that house becomes a home. As the architect designs the blueprints he pays special attention to each section of the house and lays out specific steps the builder must follow as he works to raise up the house. When creating a sound house each part should be carefully constructed so that it will stand all weather. Your role as a wife and mother are similar in that each role you have takes time, understanding and patience so you can build a healthy life for yourself and those closest to you, namely your family.This was my thought as I started putting these "life tours" together. Our lives encompass certain ares no matter how good (or bad) we feel we do in those areas. As the weeks go by I would like to build up a "house " using the God given blueprints King Solomon has drawn up for us in Proverbs 31.

Finding the Real Estate

A house means a family house, a place specially meant for putting children and men in as to restrict their waywardness and distract them from the longing for adventure and escape they've had since time began. ~Marguerite Duras

This quote got me thinking as I read it about three years ago. Is that what we create when we create a home, a place that restricts and distract our families or should we create homes that are so rich in love and comfort, affirmation and peace that our husbands can't wait to come home after a long day at work and that our children find after being reared in such a place they do their best to copy and imitate it? So with my blood hound like curiosity I started a journey to find out.

That lead me to my Bible and then to the book of Proverbs.

Chapter 31:

^{10 [b]}A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This blew my mind, here is a women that independently cared for her household on so many levels. Who in the world could accomplish this? The more I thought of this passage the more I was overwhelmed until I started to break it down.

wife

homemaker

neighbor

teacher

mother

spiritual leader

I realized this was me no matter how good or bad I was at any of these roles they were my roles so how could I learn to be the best I could be at each one?

The Start

It is getting to be the rainy season here in Oregon and as a stay at home mother I find I go crazy without a creative outlet (it is hard to garden in the rain). So I thought I would give blogging a try.

A couple of years ago I held a "life group" at my home where about a dozen other wives and mothers got together and explored Proverbs 31 "the roles of a wife and mother". We had speakers come and talk about each role, we shared recipes, stories of our children, and a lot of laughter. It was a really neat experience and I was sorry when it was over. So I thought why not keep it going. The stuff we learned was life changing we all walked away richer for the knowledge and practical advice. I love to learn, no, not just learn, jump into something and really find out about all I can about it then share my findings with some poor soul who happens to come by.

My goal with this blog is to not only cover the P-31 study but to also share life, fun things to do with toddlers,  cool date ideas, an easy way to make Chicken A la King (or whatever), thought provoking books I have read, hopefully the list will go on and on.

Well here goes...