She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.
She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
(v.13,
19, 22, 24) Being Creative and Resourceful
I
love this one. Do not be intimidated by the stuff this woman does. Every verse in the Bible has a principal behind it. I believe these verses are encouraging us to be resourceful. I do not think many people would call themselves creative and resourceful.
Society has taken the fun and creativity out of our homes. The best part of my
training to be a wife and mom was the early years of our marriage. Since Mark
and I are both teachers, we were a little on the poverty side.:):):) When the
boys were born, we decided that I would stay home for a few years. Unbelievable
and so awesome. I am convinced that God wants us to be resourceful!
The answer
to every question about a purchase was always no. But the joy in discovering
how to make do was worth the journey. I will give you examples of how this has stayed with me...my favorite plants are the
ones I have taken a cutting and grown it myself. More than half my plants are
not bought. A store-bought plant is not as special.
My favorite furniture is the 65 year old bedroom furniture that
Mark's mom and dad bought when they were first married. Mark and I refinished
it and it is gorgeous. Since we did not have money for a kitchen table when we
first married, I asked my mom and mother-in-law to save up all our gifts they
would have given us and donate to the table fund. That 33 year old table is my
prized possession!
Mark and I got used to never being able to afford a movie or
eat out so now we are so much more content even though we can do that now. We
used cloth diapers(easier than you think) and I nursed the boys and saved a ton of money on diapers and formula. We drove old
cars and took vacations to see family. We could not afford to make a minimum payment on anything so we did not even have a credit card. The lessons I learned then were
invaluable to our marriage.
Mark and I don't have such a longing for material
things because we were so happy without them Develop a sense of contentment.
Try to find ways to not spend money. Creativity and resourcefulness are the
products of not conforming to the world.
I have this rebellious nature about
the world...if the world does it one way, I will rebel and go the other way.
When you get married and have a family, the world will tell you that
you will only be happy if you take the kids to Disney world, drive a nice car,
have a gorgeous home,etc. If you have the money, do it! But if you do not, push
it out of the head! Your brain is made to be creative. You are smart enough not
to fall for that. Be resourceful. God gave us the ability to problem-solve.
I wish this for every young couple...to have to do without things and learn to enjoy it. I am a little sad for the young couples who start off with everything. What do they have to look forward to? Later on when you do have a little more money, it won't have such a hold on you and you can give it away a little easier.
This is 33rd anniversary picture...
