Proverbs 31 Woman Part 5

Proverbs 31:29-31

29. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

31. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Does her best! – verse 29: “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” There are godly women in the world, but what about us? Are we being the best we can be? We will always find someone better than us, but that should never stop us from being the best we can be. God made us each uniquely, and comparing ourselves with others really is not fair. God made us a certain way with certain abilities/talents/gifts to serve and praise Him in a way only we can. Are we using correctly and completely what God gave us to bring honor and glory to Him?

She fears the Lord! – verse 30: “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” External beauty is deceitful (in other words what you see is not really what you get) and vain (does not last, tends to vanish). God does not look at our outward appearance and see beauty. He looks at our hearts to see what we really are. Inner beauty comes from having the correct relationship with the Lord. This is impossible if the fear of the Lord is not in us. When Christ is our King and sits on the throne of our hearts, it is His beauty that shines through us making us beautiful in the sight of the Lord. Psalm 90: 17 – “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us…”

She will be rewarded – verse 31: “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” The fruit of her hands shows her labor and the results of her hard work. What she does and gives out will eventually come back to her. In her love and dedication to her Lord and her household, she works to keep her family and those around her safe and in the way that pleases God. She knows her work is as unto the Lord and is not in vain. Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

We have come to the end of the description of the virtuous woman, but may it be the beginning of a new purpose in life for us. May we have the desire to seek the Lord and please, worship, glorify, and bring honor to Him in all our thoughts, words, acts, deeds…in the way we live every single moment of our days.

Home, but not home: Summer with a mission

We headed out towards the Greensboro airport with 14 suitcases (each weighing 50lbs) and 12 carry-ons. So began our trip back to Spain.

Both flights were delayed after getting on them and taxing for a while, but when we finally got off the ground, the flights went well. Our total travel time was a bit over 12 hours, we lost one suitcase, which should be sent here soon, but when we walked out of the oh-so-familiar automatic double doors with our carts piled with suitcases, saw people we recognized, and heard our Spain Spanish....we were home!

We drove through our town and though there was construction, a year and four months had not changed it too drastically. Driving into our garage, calling the old elevator that occasionally works, opening our front door and smelling the smells, rediscovering our rooms...all this was home.

I had left Spain preparing myself to not come back for a long time, maybe never. I did not know if God would ever allow me to come back, but He did and I am so thankful! But even though I am home, I came back with a different mentality. I know I am only here for 3 months, and I have determined that in these months I will put into practice all I have learned during my college year. I no longer see this place and these people as my family's ministry, but these people I grew up with have now become MY ministry. I know I can be a help and impact; I want to be used of God!

This summer will not be one of laziness and wasting time (though I do intend to get some relax time in)....this will be a great one! Though there are no classes, I want to keep learning and growing! I want God to do something great through me and that comes through me asking Him what He wants me to do....and DO IT!

Please pray that everything done this summer will bring honor, glory, and praise to the Father who deserves my best!

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 4

Proverbs 31:23-28 

23. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

She builds up her husband – verse 23: “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.” In the middle of the description of the virtuous woman, suddenly this verse says nothing about her. This verse speaks only of her husband. I thought that was kind of out of place, but think about it: you know that saying that “behind every great man is a great woman”? Well, read this verse: Proverbs 12:4: “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” The woman can either build up her husband or tear him down. The virtuous woman’s husband is well known in the gates and with the elders. He is respected and his wife does nothing to tear him down. As previously established, I am not married and have no husband, but what about those around me? Am I building them up or tearing their reputation down?

She is not lazy, she works and sells – verse 24: “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” Many women impoverish their families by buying things that are not necessary. The virtuous woman is not proud and does not think herself too high to help provide for her family.

Strength and honor are two words that describe her – verse 25:  “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” The virtuous woman has not only dressed herself with fine linen (Proverbs 31:22) but has also clothed her inner self. Strength and honor both come from the Lord (Psalm 27:1: “…the LORD is the strength of my life…” and Psalm 21:5: “…honour and majesty hat thou laid upon him.”). The virtuous woman knows where strength and honor come from and to be clothed with it, we must seek God because only in Him can we find it!

Her words are wise and kind – verse 26: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” Words are so powerful! They can heal but they can also hurt; they can build but they can also break, they can show love but they can also show loathing… Matthew 12:34: “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The wisdom and kindness of the virtuous woman show what is in her heart.  What is in our hearts? What we say reflects what we are inside.

Watches over her house and works to keep it going well – verse 27: “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” She keeps watch, she is alert, looking and protecting her family from any danger that can harm them. This is not simply setting up spy cameras and checking in once in a while…this is serious stuff! She investigates to make sure each of her family members are safe physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is hard work to keep up with everyone and everything. She is not lazy! She is occupied with doing the right things that she has no time for laziness and slothfulness.

She teaches her family well and they recognize and praise her – verse 28:  “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” If anyone knows how much she has worked, it should be those who live with her. Those closest to her see how she invests into her loved ones and they recognize this. She does not seek praise but does what God commands of her and she is rewarded because of her faithfulness. Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Final Freshman Frenzy

So it has come....the end of my freshman year! It sounds great! But the feeling of satisfaction with being done has not come. The feeling of completion, of ending, of finality, none of these are what I feel when I think of this summer break. This summer is just that...a break from college and classes...but not a break from learning and continual growth in what Christ has in store for these next 3 months.

Finals week came and went, quite quickly. Praise the Lord for His help throughout this semester. He helped me with fiances, through my academic learning, as well as experiences and situations.

Graduation week came and is gone. It was a blessing to see graduates and think that in three years I will be up there. It seems like a long time, but yet, looking back on how fast my freshman year went, graduation is not extremely far away. I want to enjoy college as much as possible, for I know it is a crucial time in my life. Though one never stops learning, college is what is getting me ready for what comes after: REAL LIFE.

The Departure:
When: Wednesday
Time: 5:30pm
Where: in front of the Revels building
What: waiting for the shuttle that would take me to LAX

We gathered to say our goodbyes. I hate leaving before everyone else. I like to be the one to see everyone off and make sure they got to their shuttles and the airport and all that, but it was not like that this time. It had finally hit me....I was leaving. Even throughout the seemingly endless packing and cleaning, the fact that I was going to leave had not sunk in yet. But at that moment--standing with the ones who had stood beside me, who cried with and for me, who had corrected me when I was wrong, who pointed me to God, and most importantly, faithfully prayed for me--I realized how much God had blessed me with these wonderful friends. It was a good goodbye. Our usual teasing and sarcasm was not absent, as it is part of all of us, but a sad yet sweet air swirled around us. We waved our goodbye waves (which really are not different than our usual waves) and smiled our goodbye smiles as the bus drove away from the place I had learned to love.

The rest of the story is quite normal and not too eventful. We ended up with 10 people all from West Coast and most of us were on the same flight so we were able to chat at the gate for a couple of hours. This morning (9:34ish Thursday morning) I finally arrived in NC. I was greeted by my awesome family. Endless stories and questions were bombarded at me, and I heard my name "Ate, Ate, Ate..."several times over... and I enjoyed every bit of it. When we got back to the house I crashed for 5 hours. Of course, I got my filipino food and I really don't know much else of what is going on...my brain is out of it and still on California time. All I know is that Tuesday we get to fly home to Spain!!!!!

That is my update. I just thank the Lord for keeping me safe through all this "final freshman frenzy" and just being so faithful. He has put up with a lot from me and still chose to be patient with me and teach me!

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 3

Proverbs 31:19-22

19. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

She knows how to sew – verse 19: “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.” Both the spindle and the distaff were used with thread and sewing. It’s true that not every woman can sew, but knowing how to be able to fix things yourself is helpful. This does not only apply to sewing, but to many other things as well. You will not always have the finances or the place or time to go get things fixed. Can I do things myself, or do I always have to depend on someone else to do it for me? Now don’t take this too far either. Help is not a bad thing. Sometimes you just cannot do things on your own, and you are not expected to. I, personally, don’t really like people doing things for me. I like when I can do it on my own, but I have also had to learn to accept other people’s help.

She not only cares for her house, but others in need – verse 20: “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” We have been seeing how the virtuous woman cares for her family, which is important; but she also cares for the needy. In Matthew 22:39 we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. The virtuous woman loves and cares for those around her. Do I show others I care for them? How much do I love and care? As much as I love and care for myself?

She plans ahead – verse 21: “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for her household are clothed with scarlet.” Scarlet is a type of woolen cloth which shows us why the virtuous woman is not worried about her family. She had already planned ahead; they are all dressed warmly and are prepared for the cold weather. If she prepared for the cold weather, do you think she has prepared for other things also? Do I look ahead and start preparing NOW for what is coming? We are obviously not supposed to forget about what we have before us now, but always be conscious of what we will be facing down the road. By doing this, we can avoid problems and situations that can easily be evaded by simply planning ahead.

She dresses nicely – verse 22: “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” Why do people think that a virtuous woman should be dressed in rags, or maybe a bit disheveled and untidy? Is it because she is hard working? Is it because she is constantly caring for her family, friends, and others in need? Is it because she is serving so much that she has no time for herself? I don’t know. But I know that a virtuous woman of God can keep herself looking nicely. After all, our outward appearance should reflect Christ so that when others see us, they can see His light and love shining through us.  We should dress nicely and attractively, yet modestly. We are children of God, therefore princesses of our Heavenly Father.