Learning to Live Proverbs 31: Cultivating the Art of Resourcefulness

photo by tillwe

One of the things I’ve noticed since getting married is how suddenly it put my homemaking urge into overdrive. Given, much of it boils down to necessity: Living for two essentially on a one-income salary, there’s a greater need for me to learn how to make things stretch.

I’ve always had an eye for sales and mark-downs and flitting from Target to thrift shop to TJ Maxx. But now, there seems a purpose to it. And I am enjoying the “challenge” of learning to make-do, to see the benefit it makes to our family now, and knowing the foundation it is laying for the future.

We’re all familiar with the wifely image presented in Proverbs 31, she who is “of noble character” and “worth far more than rubies.” When I went back and read that section a few days ago, I took note of how much of that section focuses on the work of her hands. There are about 20 verses that describe what it is about her that makes her so commendable. Of those verses, 11 revolve around the work she does for her household to provide and prepare it for the future.

In one of the books on the role of a Christian wife that I read, the author emphasized that women learn to be content and resourceful with what they do have. Oftentimes (especially if you are a stay-at-home mother), there’s little you can do about your income. But as a wife who deals with much of the day-to-day decisions of the household, you have the ability to put your creativity to use and bridge this gap through your savings, your spending and your handy DIY projects. These are the things God has placed in our hands--we are called to appreciate those gifts, make the most of them and avoid lamenting other things we wish we had.

So for now, while I’m still a newlywed and still a couple years away from motherhood, I’m starting small on this journey of homemaking. I don’t expect to figure out all the corners to cut or save every single penny. What I do want to do is learn and keep learning how to do this. Right now, that means things like researching how to make store-bought items from scratch (I especially want to try homemade granola bars), scouring sale ads from local groceries and even clipping coupons, which I never understood until now. For now, those baby steps are good enough for us.

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

2 comments:

  1. Hi Carmen!
    I just wanted to let you know how inspiring your blog has been for me. I feel a little stalk-ish, but I really enjoy reading it. I especially value your honest discussion of newlywed life, since James and I will be getting married pretty soon!

    And on the subject of the granola bars, I saw this on "Good Eats" and have really wanted to try them. If you've never watched this show with Alton Brown, it's amazing! Supposedly they're really tasty, but also have a lot more good things for you than your average store-bought. Let me know how it goes if you try them!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/granola-bars-recipe/index.html

    So glad to hear that things are going well for you!

    Julia Smith

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aw, thanks, Julia! I'm so glad you found my blog and are enjoying it. I'm having a lot of fun writing and sharing on it! And I totally appreciate the stalking--I do my fair share of it with other people's blogs, too :)

    I will definitely have to try that granola bar recipe. I tried the first one I had today, but they only came out OK. Not really something I would recommend. I haven't seen that show lately (right now we don't have a TV or cable) but I imagine the recipe has to be pretty good. I'll let you know how it turns out!

    By the way, when is your wedding date? Thanks again! :) Miss having you guys over for our theme parties!

    ReplyDelete

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