As we take another peek into the life of the Proverbs 31 woman, we once again find her hard at work. Verse 24 says, “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.”
The Virtuous Woman is Enterprising.
Enterprising is defined as showing initiative and willingness to undertake new projects. The lady described here is using a skill she has developed to help her family in a financial way. She is creative and has at least a degree of business-savvy as she works with the merchant to deliver her product.
This is an area in which I would certainly like to improve. One of my prayers is that the Lord would help me find an opportunity to earn some extra income. Have you found a way to creatively market a talent or skill that you have?
The second area in which I find myself challenged in this verse is in realizing what a time manager she must have been to accomplish all of these tasks! I am confident that her care of her husband and children didn’t suffer because she was making the linen to sell. One of my goals for the new year is to become better at allocating my time according to my priorities. Crystal at Money Saving Mom has been sharing a helpful series on this topic and I’d enjoy hearing any tips you have as well!
photo courtesy public domain pictures
Yes there is many ways we can help our husbands regarding finance right here in our home! Thanks for sharing this info and post with us 🙂
Mrs. Stam,
You are correct! Whether or not I'm bringing in an income, I know that I can help my husband by making wise, frugal choices and being a good steward of our possessions.
I have always used consignment stores to help our family financially. Of course, my first option is always to give needy items to others that have a need, but when I couldn't find a need, I consigned them. I have one daughter who prepares the clothes for the consignment store for the family, and she gets that spending money. My son is allowed to help with the used school items we consign, and he gets that spending money. In the past I have also traded books at a used book store for more books that we need and picked up vintage/antique items to sell to antique stores. However, I agree with the rest of you, the first priority is learning to stay within our incomes and being faithful with what we have.
Tracey, thank you for your kind comments and sharing today. Ironically, I had a doctor appointment and was at the same hospital today and made it through fine. The Lord really gave me strength through His Word this morning!
This is something I'd really like to work on too. Over time I've had so many different ideas of enterprises I've thought I could take up, but none of them have worked out as a long-term thing. My husband and I were looking at http://www.etsy.com the other day together. I'd always thought it was a place to sell handcrafted things only, but I was surprised to see that it is also used to sell vintage items, and also surprised to notice that some sellers also market consumables like fudge or cookies etc. So that is quite a good idea if you're into baking or cooking (or sewing or any kind of marketable craft) and want to make a little business out of it from home.
I know I have the skill to be able to handmake and sell *something* from home, but my biggest problem is a combination of already stretching myself in too many directions (need to get organised and prioritise better) and lacking the confidence to actually DO it! So this is something I know I really need to work on… And you have reminded me of it! This Proverbs 31 woman was not timid, she didn't lack confidence – she knew what her skills were and she used them to the best advantage!
I did catering/baking business in Japan, but unfortunately due to laws here I had to have a seperate kitchen. That is ok, because God led us to homeschool. We'll see what hapwe pens when move in a few months… 🙂
Such wise words in Proverbs. I often wonder how this Godly woman accomplished all these things – and then I realized that she didn't do everything at once, in 1 day. She learned through time, honed her skills, and leaned on God's goodness and blessings!
I'm so glad that you've resumed this series!
I agree it is so very important to be wise in the financial department. I have not found too many creative ways to make extra income, but I am inspired by so many of the etsy shops out there that make such lovely and homespun goodies! Thought about giving that a try at some point, but no time for it at present. Maybe some day?!