Friday, January 27, 2012

Day 10: Being the Proverbs 31 Woman


"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:27


It's going to be hard to say goodbye to this wonderful blog series, but here we are at Day 10.  I have been so encouraged by the other 12 ladies and their 10 blog posts about the Proverbs 31 woman.  Much valuable information was learned and shared amongst us all.  If you haven't gotten a chance to check out what the other awesome ladies blogged about, scroll down toward the bottom of this post and there is a list of them all with links to each of their blog pages.  Such blessings in them all!

I think all of us stated somewhere in the past 10 days that being the "Proverbs 31 woman" was a tad intimidating to us.  It is such a high standard of living for one person.  God knows this.  I don't think He is expecting us to be all of that all at the same time, and on top of that--instantly.  All of the characteristics that were described throughout the entire section of scripture are things we should strive toward.  None of us is perfect--especially me!  But, with God's loving guidance in our lives, we can begin to take on more and more of these qualities.  These things do take time.  Praise God for that!

One of my all-time favorite websites for Christian women is the Proverbs 31 Ministries at http://www.proverbs31.org/ .   I love Lysa Terkeurst and Renee Swope.  They are excellent women of faith, in my humble opinion.  They are REAL women with REAL issues.  It gives me comfort to read their stuff.
Also, I really like (in)courage at  www.incourage.me  This a really REAL group of ladies who love the LORD like I do and encourage each other daily.  This is how I got involved in the blog series and got to meet these wonderful ladies.  There is community page where anybody can post.  Everyone is so sweet and encouraging and you can "come as you are."  Great stuff!

My prayer for each of you is that you get plugged into a group where you can encourage and be encouraged as you learn more about God's Word.  It's a fantastic journey and I don't know where I would be without Him.  Praise to you, O LORD!  Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
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Check out these other blogs as well about 10 Days of Proverbs 31.  Good times!  Great information. Blessings all around.

Photobucket
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.
A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Day 9: Watching over Relationships



"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:27


Day 9....Wow!  I can't believe this series is almost over!  It has been so much fun.

I would like to lightly touch on relationships in the home today.  Watching over the affairs in your home can include relationships.   Other Proverbs 31 verses touch on this more in depth, so I won't reinvent the wheel here.

I want to talk about 3 specific relationships:  You & God; You & Your spouse; and You & Your children.

Your relationship with God is the most important relationship you can ever have.  As you are watching over your household, you will turn to Him many times throughout the day for help, guidance, and praise.  Prayer is so very important in anything you do--if you want to be successful.  Also, reading your Bible and learning His Word is imperative as well.  How can you trust our LORD if you don't really know Him?

The second most important relationship you have is with your spouse (if you are married.)  The two of you have become one on paper and are working on becoming more like one everyday.  It is a tough thing to do.  But it is also so much fun!  As you both get busy with the day-to-day tasks, don't forget to spend time together.  My husband and I do a small devotional each evening and pray together.  We also schedule a "date night" at least once a month to get out alone together.  We do have to intentionally schedule a date night since our schedules fill up so quickly.  Be intentional about your marriage.  Work together on making it what God has in mind for it.

The third (and most certainly not last) relationship that is important is with your kids.  We all have different parenting styles.  Different things work for each of us differently.  It is imperative though for us to teach our kids about God and His Son Jesus.  We need to show our kids by example what it means to rely on God for everything and see God in anything.  Teach your kids to pray.  Nurture that relationship in each of your kids.  Also, spend time with your kids and teach them all throughout the day.  Every moment is a teaching moment, whether you intend it to be or not.

Watch over all of these relationships diligently.  Seek Godly counsel when things aren't going right.  Always pray and ask God for wisdom.  Relationships, especially in our homes, our so very important.

Join me to tomorrow for our last day, Day 10, of Proverbs 31.  I'm looking forward to it
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Check out these other blogs as well about 10 Days of Proverbs 31.  Good times!  Great information. Blessings all around.

Photobucket
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.
A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.

1 comment:
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Day 8: Moving



"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:27


Today, I want to talk a little about moving.  You know--that sometimes dreaded task that all of us have done at least once in our lives.  Moving can be exciting, too.  Going to a new place, a new house, a new adventure.  Maybe it's just to a new house; but, many times it's to a new job in a new town where you know next to nobody.  That can be a little scary, to say the least!


My husband and I, along with our 2 teen kiddos are going through this very thing right now.  In fact, we will be moving 5 hours away to a new job, new home, new town, new everything next week!  Eeek!
This "10 Days of Proverbs 31" blogging I have gotten the opportunity to participate in has been a very timely reminder for me.  It has helped me in closing things down here at our current home and getting everything up and going at the new place.  


There are many things to worry over do when getting ready for a move to new house--regardless of the location.  This is not an exhaustive list, but it does contain many important things to do.


1.  Sell house or close out the lease on your current place.  (PRAISE ALERT!  Our house was only on the market for 10 DAYS when we accepted a fantastic offer from a pre-approved couple looking to buy their first home.  God is SO good!!)
2.  Close out utilities at current home and get everything turned on at new place.  (electricity, water, gas, phone, Internet, TV, etc.)
3.  Submit a change of address or forwarding order to your local post office.  This way, you can get all of your mail at the new place.
4.  Get all medical records (health, dental, vet, etc.) if possible.  You may want to talk to your doctors to see if they recommend a particular doctor in your new town.  Sometimes, you have to wait to get your records requested by the new doctor.  Also, get new prescriptions from your doctor to take to a new pharmacy near the new place.
5.  Get all the information when checking your kids out of their current school in order to enroll them in the new school.  Many schools are doing all of this electronically, so it may be as simple as signing a paper.
6.  Try to use up all the food in your house before you move, if possible.  Plan meals according to what is in the kitchen.  *This may not be important if you are just moving to a new house in the same town.
7.  Before the movers (or you and 5 of your closest friends!) start packing boxes to move your things, pack 3-4 days worth of clothes for each family member to carry with you.  This is just in case there is a problem with the delivery or delivery date.
8.  Spend time with close friends and family members before the move.  They will hate to see you go, but will rejoice with you for your new adventure.  Also, they help break up the monotony and craziness of the move.
9.  Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray!  God will guide you through the process and help set your mind at ease.  (This probably should have been Number 1 on this list, but since we should pray all the time, I don't mind too much it being number 9..)
10.  Make one last check of the old house before you leave.  It's amazing how many things you can miss because they have been in that place forever and you just don't "see" them anymore.  Have someone else who hasn't lived there do a walk through to check for items missed.  (I ALWAYS miss the over-the-door hooks/hangers in the bathroom and bedroom.)


Like I said, this isn't an exhaustive list by any means.  It has helped me in "watching over my household" while getting ready for this move.  Please be in prayer for my family as we embark next week on this new adventure.  Doing God's work is always rewarding, but can be a little scary, too.  I'm so glad GOD is on our side during this whole thing.


Do you have anything else to add to my list of things to remember when moving?  I would love to hear any suggestions you may have.  Thanks!
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Check out these other blogs as well about 10 Days of Proverbs 31.  Good times!  Great information. Blessings all around.

Photobucket
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.
A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.
1 comment:
Labels:
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