Proverbs 31 Challenge, Day 2

(13) She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

Alright, so in my previous post yesterday, I laid down what this proverb as a whole calls us women to be. But how do we be that? We're still pretty clueless. This next parts starts to shed some light on it.

Most of the time, when we do something(Or at least, I find myself doing this way to often), we do it grumbling. Or at least wishing somebody else would do it. And if we're not grumbling, we still had to be told to do it(*cough by my mom cough*), and even if we didn't have to be told to do it, chances are, we're doing it for our own gain. Whether it's because you're being paid for it, or because you're trying to be really, really nice to your mom, so she's in a good mood when you ask her about that party your friends are having, you almost always(or at least, I do) have a motive behind it for yourself.

"She works with willing hands" abolishes the idea of this motive being a good one. It calls us to be willing to work, without grumbling(Philippians 2:14), and without selfish thoughts and motivations. But it still gets a little bit deeper than that.

You see the part "She seeks wool and flax"? Wool and Flax were hand spun by women into yarn, which was then woven into fabric, which was then sewn into clothes, and those clothes were then dyed. And each of these steps didn't just take a day or so. It took weeks just to weave it, and even more to dye it. That's a lot of work, just for one shirt! So when it says she seeks wool and flax, it's like saying that she looked for work. She didn't just do it when she had to, but she actually went out of her way to find it. Basically, she was never happy if her hands were idle.

When I read this, I am convicted. Very seldom do I do something outside of my usual chores without having to be told to. And even if my mom doesn't have to chase me down, and I do it without her telling me to, I make sure she finds out. This verse tells us as women to work for those we love, because we love them. Not to get that little "thank you", or permission from your mom to hang out with friends later, or even to just get on somebody's "good side". To work without telling the whole world. Without grumbling. Without selfish reasons, but because you Love them. And through it, bringing glory to our amazing God, and shedding light on how Jesus died for us, just because he loved us.